Q&A: Female Converts
Female Converts
Question
Priests are forbidden to marry female converts, because all non-Jewish women are presumed to have been promiscuous, and so they are forbidden to a priest. My question is whether nowadays there is any reason to change the law. What about female converts who came from conservative communities? What is the halakhic justification for placing all non-Jewish women into a certain status? And doesn’t this also relate to Meiri’s approach regarding a non-Jew?
Answer
This is only Rashi’s view (Yevamot 61a and parallels). That is not what emerges from the Talmud itself. According to Rashi there is room to permit, and indeed they discussed a minor female convert before she reached the age of intercourse (age 3). But according to the other medieval authorities and halakhic decisors, it seems that her prohibition does not depend on this.
See an overview here:
http://www.daat.ac.il/daat/psk/psk.asp?id=1443
In any case, it does not seem connected to Meiri, since the character of non-Jews today has not changed for the better in this respect (only the character of Jews has changed for the worse). Moreover, the question could have arisen in their time as well, if a female convert came under the age of 3 or if it was known that she had not had relations.
Thank you.