Although Michael is a Christian, he has lots of Jewish friends. One day, he wakes up and declares to himself, “That’s it! I’m going to convert to Judaism.” Later that day, he’s told by all his friends that a proper, formal conversion takes years of study. But he’s made up his mind and so embarks on his conversion study. And for the next 18 months, he studies Judaism continuously from morning till night. Finally, he feels that he’s ready to apply to take the test and so complete his conversion to Judaism. He’s very, very excited. His conversion test day soon arrives and he goes to the appointed place where he is met by a rabbi. “Shalom aleichem,” says the rabbi. “Aleichem shalom,” replies Michael. “OK,” says the rabbi, “before we begin, I must inform you that my fee this morning for the 3 hours I shall be conducting the conversion test will be $400. Is this acceptable to you?” “$400 is really a lot of money for me at this time, rabbi,” replies Michael. “How about $250? I can give this to you in cash.” “Mazel tov,” says the rabbi, “Welcome to the Tribe!”