1. The Fundamentals of Conversion and
Their Interrelationships
1. The Formal Conversion Rituals,
Acceptance of the Commandments, and the Court
2. Gemirat Da‘at — The Final
Internal Resolve to Convert
3. Conversion as a Covenant and as
Kinyan
2. The Principal Component of
Conversion
1. Acceptance of the Commandments as
the Principal Component of Conversion
2. Acceptance of the Commandments and
the Court
3. The Views of the Acharonim
3. The Formal Ritual Acts of
Conversion and Ritual Purity and Impurity
1. Introduction
2. The Male Convert's Circumcision
3. The Convert's Ritual Immersion
4. The Proselyte's Immersion and the
Ritual Immersion of Food Vessels
5. Immersion Prior to Circumcision
Part II: Acceptance of the Commandments
Introduction to Part Two
1. Towards a Characterization of the
Acceptance of the Commandments
1. The Acceptance of the Commandments
as a Condition for Conversion
2. Acceptance of the Commandments and
the Desire to Convert
2. Informing about the Commandments
and Accepting the Commandments
1. Informing about the Commandments
2. Informing the Proselyte of the
Commandments — The Law Ex Post Facto
3. Knowledge of the Commandments and
Their Acceptance — In Specific Detail and in General
4. Informing about the Commandments
and Accepting the Commandments According to Maimonides and in the Shulhan
Arukh
3. Partial Acceptance of the
Commandments
1. The Halakhah of “[I Accept
the Commandments,] Except for One Thing”
2. A Restrictive Interpretation of
“Except for One Thing” 3. “Except for One Thing” — Ab Initio and Ex
Post Facto
4. The View of R. Haim Ozer
Grodzinski
5. The Rulings of R. Moses Feinstein
4. The Motive for Conversion and
Acceptance of the Commandments
1. The Dispute between Tannaim
Concerning an Ulterior Motive for Conversion
2. One Whose Status as a Convert is
in Doubt and Conversion for the Purpose of Marriage
3. Maimonides' Approach Concerning an
Ulterior Motive for Conversion
4. The Motive for Conversion and the
Sages' Attitude to Conversion and to Converts
5. Conversion for the Purpose of
Marriage in Recent Generations
6. The Prohibition of Marriage for
One Suspected of Relations with a Gentile Woman
7. Civil Marriage and Conversion for
the Sake of a Jewish Marriage
5. The Conversion of a Minor
1. The Minor Convert and Zechiya
2. The Status of the Minor Convert
and His Protest
3. The Conversion of Minors in the
Contemporary Period
Part III: The Act of Conversion
Introduction to Part Three
1. The Laws of Circumcision and
Ritual Immersion
1. The Indispensability of
Circumcision and Ritual Immersion for Conversion
2. Conversion by Ritual Immersion
3. Intent in Immersion and
Circumcision
2. Hatafat Dam Brit — The
Drawing of the Blood of the Covenant
1. Hatafat Dam Brit for a
Previously Circumcised Conversion Candidate
2. A Gentile Who Was Born Circumcised
Who Comes to Convert
3. Hatafat Dam Brit for the
Levites, the Sons of Keturah, and Emancipated Slaves
3. There is No Half-Conversion
1. Introduction: The Significance of
a Single Act of Conversion
2. One Who Immersed but Was Not
Circumcised, or Who Was Circumcised but Did Not Immerse, Is Not a Convert
3. Hatafat Dam Brit as an Act
of Conversion
4. A Proselyte Who Was Circumcised
but Did Not Immerse
5. A Proselyte Who Immersed but Was
Not Circumcised
4. Partial Conversion: A Historical
Examination
1. The Conversion of the Royal House
of Adiabene
2. A Comparison with the Talmudic
Legal Tradition
3. The Phenomenon of “Those Who Fear
Heaven” and Gentile Interest in Judaism in and after the Late Second Temple
Period
5. The Offering of a Sacrifice
1. The Purpose of the Proselyte's
Sacrifice
2. Bringing the Sacrifice as
Completion of the Formal Ritual Act of Conversion
3. After the Destruction of the
Temple
Part IV: The Court
Introduction to Part Four
1. “A Convert Requires Three”
1. The Prohibition of Private
Conversion in the Talmuds and in the Geonic Literature
2. The Indispensability of Three for
the Acceptance of the Commandments
3. The Approach of Rif and
Similar Approaches of Other Rishonim
4. The Indispensability of the Court
for Immersion and for Acceptance of the Commandments
5. Views of Rishonim Who
Acknowledge the Legitimacy of Conversion Not in the Presence of a Court Ex
Post Facto
2. Conversion without a Court:
Practical Halakhah in the Responsa Literature
1. Law of Converts and Slaves in the
Sixteenth Century in the East
2. Responsa on Questions of
Mamzerut, Kiddushim (Betrothal), and Levirate Marriage
3. Responsa by Acharonim
3. Conversion and Judicial
Proceedings and Rulings
1. Conversion in Court and Judicial
Proceedings and Rulings
2. Judicial Proceedings and the
Ritual Immersion for the Sake of Conversion Conducted at Night
3. A Judicial Proceeding or “An
Action which Requires a Court”? — Maimonides' Approach
4. Immersion for Conversion on the
Sabbath
5. The Judicial Nature of Conversion
in Actual Halakhic Practice
4. Accepting Converts at the Present
Time: Experts and Non-Experts
1. Introduction
2. “We Are Acting as Their Agents”
3. Conversion by Torah Law and by the
Authority of Rabbinic Enactment
4. The Exegesis of “Throughout Your
Generations”
5. Experts and “Law [Mishpat]”
6. The Halakhic Expertise and the
Sagacity of the Judges
Part V: Invalidation of Conversion due to Lack of Intent to Convert
Introduction to Part Five
1. The Absence of Acceptance of
Commandments and the Validity of Conversion
1. The Finality of Conversion and
Acceptance of the Commandments
2. The Intent to Convert and a Proven
Assessment
3. Umdana de-mukkah — Proven
Assessment and Devarim She-ba-lev — Unexpressed Thoughts
4. Acceptance of the Commandments
under Coercion
5. The Validity of Present-day
Conversions
2. The Convert's Behavior Following
His Conversion
1. Conversion for an Ulterior Motive
as Conditional Conversion
2. The View of Haggahot Mordekhai
3. “His [Behavior in the] End Proved
[what] his [Intent was in the] Beginning”
4. “We Have Misgivings about Him
until His Righteousness Becomes Apparent”: Maimonides' Approach
3. Null and Void Conversion: Recent
Halakhic Praxis
1. Introduction
2. Fraudulent Conversion: Cairo
3. Annulment of Conversion and
Betrothal because of Acceptance for Appearance's Sake: England
4. The Retroactive Annulment of
Conversion: The Ruling regarding the Brother and the Sister (Israel)
5. Summary of the Responsa
6. The Rulings of R. Moses Feinstein
Summary and Conclusions
Bibliography
Indices
Source Index
General Index
Index of Place Names
