The Jewish Bet Din Explained

By Barbara Wright


A religion can have a court. This will be religious in nature. A religious court will be very different from a civilian court. A civilian court is secular in nature. The Jewish Bet Din is a religious court in every sense and respect. It conforms to Judaism. This is a very ancient religion that is relevant in the present day world. Not all Jews are religious. There are also secular Jews. In Israel, there is a freedom of religion. However, anyone who identifies as Jewish, whether or not he is secular, should accept the authority of the Bet Din on marriage issues.

The Bet Din has a number of officials. These are people who are in good standing in society. A background check has to be done before a person becomes an official of the court. The process of background research can take some time. The appointed court official can either serve for a brief period or for his entire life.

The chief of court is like the chief justice of the typical court out there. He is the person who is charged with making the final decision on all cases. He needs to be a rabbi who is well respected in Israel or in the country in question. He must have a rabbi certificate and a deep knowledge of Torah.

The Jewish religious court has been around for thousands of years. It is as old as Jewish history. One of the first places where the Jews are mentioned is the book of Genesis. At that time, they were slaves in Egypt. The Exodus from Egypt was a momentous event in the history of Jews. It marked the birth of a nation.

In ancient times, this court was all powerful. It had a say on every judicial matter. That was the period just after Israelis settled in the Promised Land. The court was established so that justice could prevail in society and everybody could live in peace and harmony. Actually, religious courts and the other courts must strive to exercise justice.

Various Roman emperors either restricted the Israeli religious court or allowed it to thrive. In some cases, this court only had jurisdiction on Israeli people. Therefore, the Romans who lived in Jerusalem and the surrounding territories were subject to the laws of Rome. The Roman system of laws and the Judaism system of law were two different systems. One is religious and the other is not.

The modern day Torah based court is not as active as it used to be in ancient times. Its powers have been severely limited even in Israel itself. In Israel, it is part and parcel of the Israeli judiciary. However, the Israeli rabbinical authorities have a large influence when it comes to appointing the various officials of this court.

The present day Bet Din is largely concerned with civil matters. That means that it does not deal with criminal matters. These are left to the office of public prosecutor. The most common civil matter is divorce. The court will make the decision on the terms of annulling a marriage. Under the laws of Israel, two married people can divorce under certain conditions.




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