High Court Interferes With Halacha

The High Court brazenly issued a ruling stating that the rabbinate’s Beis Din Hagadol headed by Chief Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef was unauthorized to accept an appeal against the spurious 2014 decision of a Tzefas beis din headed by Rav Uriel Levi to grant a get to the wife of a comatose husband on the grounds of the Gemara’s rule, “zachin leadam shelo befonav.”

Religious Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit concurred with the court’s decision.

Rav Yosef had convened an eleven member beis din to review the divorce case after an appeal was filed by a Reuven Cohen of Bnei Brak, who was unconnected with the case. In response, the Mavoi Satum organization founded in 1995 to provide legal and emotional support to women who were refused a get petitioned the High Court on the wife’s behalf against Cohen’s appeal.

In pseudo-halachic lingo, religious jurist Elyakim Rubenstein of the High Court spoke of the “great and undisputed importance in finding halachic solutions for agunos” and noted that even the great Rav Ovadiah Yosef did much to help such women. He concluded his decision in a style usually reserved for piskei halacha: “May the plaintiff leave in peace and rehabilitate her life. Finished and complete, praise to G-d, Creator of the world.”

Mavoi Satum director Attorney Batya Kahane-Dror said she hoped the court’s support of the Tzefas beis din ruling would encourage the creation of other halachic solutions to further women’s rights.

MK Moshe Gafni of UTJ blasted the religious Judge Rubenstein’s interference in the halachic process.

“The ruling of the High Court is further proof that any attempt to appoint a religious judge to the Supreme Court achieves the opposite when he attacks all that is important to the Torah observant public,” Gafni said. “He is working for the secular public by harming both halacha and the rulings of rabbonim as if he understands more than they do. This is further evidence for what I have said: A religious judge in the Supreme Court does more harm than good and the same goes for finding solutions and legislation to limit the power of the High Court.”

{Matzav.com Israel News}