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 just like any other court has a structure. There are senior officials of the court and there are the junior officials. A person can start on the lower levels and slowly climb up the ranks. To become an official of the court, one needs to be a person who has a very high level of integrity.

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 Bet Din is an ancient court that has been around for thousands of years. For as long as the Israeli people have existed, this court has always been in existence. Even when Israelis went to exile in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the rest of planet earth, this court was still alive and active in Israeli society of that time.

The ancient Bet Din was a very powerful court. It had a lot of say in everyday life in Israel. Its effects were felt all over the land. With its righteous judgments, the people of Israel flourished and they became the talk all over the world. It dealt with all kinds of judicial cases including criminal and civil cases.

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 Bet Din does not exist independently. It complements others courts such as the Supreme Court and the High Court. It serves as an alternative avenue for settling civil disputes in Israel as well as in other countries that have a high population of Israelis. A civil matter such as a divorce case does not have to go to court.




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