The importance of keeping track of our yichus (heritage). The Talmud states that if someone raises an orphan, it is considered as if it is their own child. Throughout history, Jews always welcomed orphans into their homes. Adoption, as we have it today, is a new phenomenon. Conflicting opinions as to whether we fulfill the mitzvah to bear children by adopting. Is a shtar (legal document) valid if the parents refer to their adoptive child as “our son?” This shiur was converted from audio cassette. At about the 30 minute mark, a few seconds of the shiur cannot be heard as the tape switched from side A to side B.