For the source text click/tap here: Yevamot 46
To download, click/tap here: PDF
Conversion to Judaism involves a number of stages. The potential convert must accept the laws of Judaism, if he is male he must undergo a brit milah (circumcision) and he must go to the mikvah for ritual immersion.
What would such a person’s status be were he to become circumcised without having gone to the mikvah?
We find a discussion of this question in a baraita.
The chachamim rule that both are essential for conversion, and one without the other is meaningless. Thus, such a person is not considered Jewish until he has completed the process.
When slaves decided to convert to Judaism, like all others, they had to immerse and become circumcised (if they were male).
If a slave declared that s/he was intending to convert just before immersing, S/he could convert to Judaism and thus belong to his/her slave owner only as a labourer but not in body.
If the slave owner witnessed the immersion including such a statement, it was assumed that the slave owner agreed with the slave's decision.
We explore the halachic status of the get who converts who had undergone his Brit Milah and was waiting to recover until he was ready for his Tevilah to complete his conversion asked if he was permitted to observe Shabbat during this interim period. It turns out that there is considerable discussion of this topic in the Teshuvot of the past two hundred years.
We review variety of recent issues regarding conversion an/or immersion.