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 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 Bet Din can be traced back to ancient Biblical times. The Bible starts with the book of Genesis. This documents the creation of planet earth. The next book is Exodus. It is in this book that one will start seeing references of this kind of court. The Exodus from Egypt to Israel was an important period in the history of the Jews.
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.
The status of this court kept changing through history depending on the events taking place in the Holy Land. When the Jews were free, the court was all powerful all over the land. When they were under another empire, the powers of the court were either fully restricted or partially restricted. The Roman Empire granted the court a good deal of powers.
When the state of Israel was re-established in the 20th century, most aspects of Jewish history were restored. That includes the Hebrew language that had largely disappeared over the centuries. The Bet Din court was also restored but not as an independent entity but as a part of Israeli judiciary. However, its officials are top Israeli religious figures.
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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