Shalom and thank you for turning to us. As far as we know there is no problem with your wearing a star-of-David necklace or a Hamsa necklace. However it is important to realize that the topic of true Jewish identity is a very serious one.
We are sure your wish to identify as a Jew is very sincere. As you are probably aware of from the research you have been doing, there is much to learn, and in fact – the Torah is truly vast and infinite. This is because it is the wisdom of G-d Himself and G-d is infinite. The finite world is something that G-d created and constantly RE-creates, as is stated in the morning prayers in the blessings before the Amidah prayer:
“And in His goodness he renews each day, continuously, the work of creation.” Chassidic teaching explains that if G-d would stop willing the world to exist for one second – it would cease to exist.
The holy book of the Zohar, which is the inner dimension of Torah, teaches us that G-d “looked into the Torah and created the world,” meaning that the Torah is like a blueprint for the world. (This also appears in Midrash Rabba Genesis 1:1.) Torah is the user’s guide to the world as well. The zohar continues and explains that when a Jew ‘looks into’ – that is studies – the Torah, he causes the world to keep going. It is a mutual relationship. G-d created and recreates the world and all that is in it, and the manner in which we use it affects what happens in it. If we use our free choice wisely and fulfill our obligations – which are also privileges, we are bringing the world closer to the reason for its creation. In the basic text of Chassidic teaching, the book of Tanya, the author Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi explains that G-d created the world because He desired a dwelling place in the lower worlds, meaning that that even coarse materialism can and must become permeated with spirituality and thus elevated to the spiritual plane, so that when we eat in order to have strength to learn Torah and fulfill the commandments, and we make the required blessings, the material food becomes elevated to spirituality.
For Jewish people those obligations refer to the six hundred and thirteen commandments which are enumerated by the codifiers such as Maimonides, (Rambam). The Hebrew word commandment ציווי-tzivui, comes from the same root as צותא- tzavta, which means connection. When someone loves you and you love them, you try to please them and fulfill their desires, their wishes and their dreams. G-d desired a dwelling place in the lower worlds, and we lovingly respond by fulfilling His commandments. Though it is referred to as the ‘yoke’ of Torah and Mitzvot, keeping the commandments is meant to be indeed a serious commitment, but not a burden in a negative sense. For non-Jews as you most probably know, the obligations are the Seven Noahide Laws, which bring peace and stability to the world when adhered to.
In every generation people look for meaning, for solutions to life’s problems. Unfortunately there are not always solutions available. So people trek to the far east or some lush tropical forest or island in search of answers. They build some sort of tower of Babel that is going to unify people and solve all our problems. We try, in essence, to reinvent the wheel. On a person level we may sometimes think, if only I can get this or that area of my life under control – all the good will follow. In the tractate Ethics of the Fathers 5:22 the Sage Ben Bag Bag teaches “turn it over and turn it over, for everything is in it,” meaning that however much we will search for meaning and answers to life’s dilemmas in the Torah, we will find more and more, for it contains everything.
To truly understand and gain from it though – we need to make an ongoing commitment to study Torah teachings with knowledgeable teachers, and practice all its precepts – to the extent that we can before the rebuilding of the Third Temple. We need to have a Rabbi and a mentor in our lives to guide us as to how to find the answers we need on an individual basis from the Torah.
Thus it is crucial to make sure that your teachers are truly authentic practicing Torah observant Jews who will guide you through a completely authentic Halachic process of conversion, resulting in the commitment on your part to live a Torah life.
