Legal Definitions - bet din

A bet din is a religious court or tribunal established under Jewish law. Composed of rabbis, it holds the authority to interpret, decide, and enforce matters related to Jewish law and custom. While its jurisdiction is primarily religious, its decisions can have significant implications for individuals and communities within the Jewish faith. A bet din most commonly consists of three rabbis.

Here are some examples illustrating the function of a bet din:

• Religious Divorce Proceedings: Imagine a Jewish couple who have already obtained a civil divorce but also wish to formally dissolve their marriage according to Jewish law. They would approach a bet din to facilitate the issuance of a get, which is a Jewish bill of divorce. The bet din would oversee the entire process, ensuring it adheres strictly to the complex requirements of Jewish marital law, thereby religiously freeing both parties to remarry within the Jewish faith.

• Conversion to Judaism: Consider an individual who has spent years studying Jewish traditions and practices and now wishes to formally convert to Judaism. This person would appear before a bet din. The rabbis would interview the candidate to assess their sincerity, understanding, and commitment to living a Jewish life according to Jewish law. Upon their approval, the bet din would then supervise the final steps of the conversion, such as immersion in a ritual bath (mikvah), thereby formally accepting the individual into the Jewish community under religious law.

• Resolution of Business Disputes: Suppose two Jewish business owners have a contractual disagreement over a significant financial transaction. Instead of taking their dispute to a secular civil court, they might mutually agree to present their case to a bet din. The bet din would hear testimony from both sides, examine relevant documents, and apply principles of Jewish commercial law (known as Choshen Mishpat) to render a judgment that both parties have agreed to accept as binding. This demonstrates its role in arbitrating disputes within the community based on religious legal principles.