Personal Status and Conversion (Giyur, Mamzerut, Agunah)
Giyur
Conversion requires kabbalat mitzvot (acceptance of commandments), milah (circumcision for males), and tevilah (immersion). Know the role of the beit din and the validity of conversions performed by different courts. Understand ger katan (minor convert) and the right to renounce at adulthood.
Mamzerut
A mamzer is the offspring of a forbidden union (e.g., incest or adultery) as defined by halachah. Know the limits: mamzerut does not apply to unions prohibited only by rabbinic law. Understand the consequences for marriage and the rules of safek mamzer.
Agunah
An agunah is a woman whose husband's whereabouts or status are unknown. Study the rules of edut l'heter (testimony permitting remarriage), chazakah, and the mechanisms for releasing an agunah.
Traps
- Treating a rabbinically prohibited union as producing a mamzer.
- Ignoring the requirement of kabbalat mitzvot in conversion.
- Assuming a single witness suffices for agunah testimony (special rules apply).
Rule of thumb
For status questions, first identify the type of union and whether the prohibition is d'oraita or d'rabbanan; only d'oraita forbidden unions can produce mamzerut.