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What exactly happens when a child converts to Judaism but later protests? The shiur develops a revolutionary reading of the Rambam (רמב"ם) that distinguishes between Jewish nationality (acquired through milah and tevilah) and full Jewish status (requiring kabbalas mitzvos). This framework resolves major contradictions about whether such conversion is de'raisa or derabbanan.
The shiur addresses fundamental questions about the halachic status of a ger katan (child convert) who protests upon reaching adulthood. The central problem is understanding how the Ran's question about "efshar litzamtzem" (the impossibility of pinpointing the exact moment of conversion) applies to the Rambam (רמב"ם)'s position, and why the Rambam places this halacha (הלכה) in Hilchos Melachim rather than Hilchos Gerus. Rabbi Zweig presents a groundbreaking interpretation of the Rambam that revolutionizes our understanding of gerus. He argues that the Rambam distinguishes between two levels of Jewish identity: Jewish nationality and full Jewish status. When a child undergoes milah and tevilah, he immediately becomes a Jewish national - this is a pure zechus requiring no kabbalas mitzvos and involving no din of zechiya according to the Tosafos (תוספות) in Sanhedrin. The child performs these rituals himself, so it's not a case where others act on his behalf.
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Kesubos 11a
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When an animal damages crops, the Torah prescribes a unique payment formula based on multiplying the damaged area by sixty. Does this formula redefine the actual loss, or does it merely create a payment mechanism that still acknowledges the full damage sustained? The Gemara explores whether someone who ate in doubt should pay the higher-quality amount, examining how the principle of motzi me-chaveiro alav haraya applies when payments fall within the range of actual loss.
What makes testimony valid when different witnesses testify to different parts of the same event? The Gemara debates whether the principle of "davar v'lo chatzi davar" (complete testimony, not partial) disqualifies witnesses who testify separately to theft and slaughter. Rashi's approach reveals that the issue is not merely combining elements, but whether each witness's statement is independently meaningful.
Why is a ganav who sells a stolen animal on Shabbos exempt from the fourfold/fivefold payment? The shiur analyzes whether this exemption stems from kam lei b'derabbah or from the absence of a valid mechira. The Rashba's principle that matana resembles mechira when it is "nishtarish b'chet" is explored, along with the Rambam's position on hekdesh and the distinction between giving to bedek habayis versus mizbe'ach.
When a ganav shechts a stolen animal l'avodah zarah, why isn't he patur from payment since it's already isur hana'ah? The shiur explores the fundamental machloket Rashi-Tosafot on whether the isur derives from the act of shechita or from the din shechita itself. The Gemara's application of davar garem be'mamon ke'mamon domi extends the analysis to when borrowed animals become niskal.
