The Rebbe's Rambam | Marking the completion of the entire set

Hilchos Melachim | Ch 10

mikln zekld

416

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A descendant of Noach who converted, was circumcised, and immersed in a mikvah , and then desired to return from following Hashem and revert to be a ger toshav as he was previ ously, is not heeded. Rather, he must be have like a Jew in all matters, or be killed. However, [92] if he was a minor at the time of his immersion by the court, he can protest it when he matures, and instead become only a ger toshav . But if he did not protest it at the first opportunity, he can no longer protest; rather, he is a complete righteous convert. Therefore, if a Jewish man has intercourse with aminor woman who was immersed by the court, the money of her kesubah , or the fine of a rapist or seducer which generally would go to her , should all remain under the jurisdiction of the court until she matures and does not protest the conversion. Otherwise, she may take the funds ,

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 92. “If he was a minor at the time of his immersion by the court, he can protest it when he matures” This halachah is perplexing; after the child under goes the conversion process, he is deemed a complete halachic Jew. 300 How then may he annul his Jewish status once he becomes an adult? The rationale can be understood as follows: The circumsion and immersion that the child under goes is not regarded as imbuing him with the holiness of a Jew; they are considered the actions that facilitate the conversion. Once he becomes Bar Mitzvah and independently accepts Torah and mitzvos, those ac tions, retroactively, actuate that he becomes a full-fledged Jew. 301 Therefore, if he chooses to become a Jew at thirteen, he does not require another immersion or act of circumcision, because those actions carried out when he was a child remain halachically valid. 302 .302 'ñåúáå ("à"áùøä õøéú ãåò") à"áùøä íùá íù ÷"îèùá ùøåôî ïëå .íù 'äðñ .303 .ä"ñ ç"ñøñ ã"åé ò"åùåè .304 .ã"÷ñ íù æ"èá àáåä

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Pardes Hamelech

On the other hand, since the bris and immersion require a willing acceptance at a later age to imbue Jewish status, they are considered insignificant if he decides not to convert. Similarly, an adult who receives a bris in the process of undergoing a conversion and makes the blessing, “He who commanded . . . to circumcise the convert,” 303 if he chooses to abandon the conversion before im mersing in a mikvah, the bris is considered nullified. This is due to the same principle: both actions are required for the conversion to be valid. In this instance, since only one act was done with the intent of conversion, the conversion is invalid. Interestingly, the Ramban extended this reasoning to practical application, and introduced an intermission between the bris and mikvah, to afford the potential convert an opportunity to withdraw from the conver sion process. 304 Likkutei Sichos vol. 18 pg. 69 .300 ïè÷ ä"ãåú .(åôåñá) à ,àé úåáåúë ïéìéáèî ä"ãåú) äîë úòãìå íéøâ éåä (íù) úåáåúë ÷"îèùá à"áùøå à"áèéø .(åôåñá) á ,çñ ïéøãäðñ .(í"áîøä úòã ïëå åôåñá íù à"áèéøáå .àúééøåàãî .301 êåúîå .. úåðè÷ ìù äìéáèå äìéî åäì ìéòåîã" :íù ïéøãäðñ 'ñåú äàø ."äìá÷ åðééä åçéî àìå åìãâúðù