Q&A: Custom for a Convert
Originally published:
This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.
Custom for a Convert
Question
Hello Rabbi,
How should a convert determine which customs to follow? Does he need to choose one set of customs (Ashkenazi/Sephardi) and follow that? Or regarding each custom individually, should he just go with whatever seems right to him?
Answer
It doesn’t seem to me that there are clear rules about this. The most reasonable approach is to follow the custom of his place—his synagogue, his friends, the people accompanying him.
An interesting question is whether he has to be consistent (that is, adopt Ashkenazi or Sephardi customs across the board). In my opinion, no.