The Jewish Bet Din Religious Court 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 the most senior official. He has a final say on all the matters of the court. This has to be a highly respected rabbi or posek. This is someone who understands the ins and outs of Torah, which is the holiest book in Judaism. A rabbinic judge will be concerned with cross-examining witnesses.

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 Jewish history, the Bet Din had a lot of say in not only civil matters but also criminal matters. The laws of the court were largely influenced by the Ten Commandments. The relevance of this court has always been changing throughout Jewish history. There was a time when Jerusalem fell under the control of Roman Empire.

The status of the court kept changing. At times, it was quite powerful. In other times, it was merely symbolic. Changes occurred as a result of changes in the history of the world. When the Romans conquered most parts of the world, most local based courts lost their power as a result of the establishment of the Roman legal system.

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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