יום ב Date: 3 Cheshvan, 5774 (10/27/14) – Yevamos#23 {Tani}

CONVERTING BODY & SOUL

[23a middle] Gemarah: A man from the general Jewish population can marry a slave woman or idolatress (if she converts) because once she converts she is a different entity [no longer carries her previous forbidden status] (and all her biological siblings are not related post-conversion either).

Prac-T-cal Tidbits: A person can change one’s status and whole persona on a day to day basis. Many times we hear the expression, “he is nothing like he used to be.” If a person changes even one Middah (trait) that was bad, the entire person literally changes. Just as a slave becomes an entirely different person with conversion, so too do we convert ourselves by working on our bad traits to new entirely different people.