Summoned to the Beth Din – Ask the Rabbi

Q. If I am summoned to the Beth Din, do I have to come?

The London Beth Din in session in the 1920s
A. Yes. The Seven Laws of the Sons of Noah insist upon the establishment of a system of justice; otherwise, as the sages put it, people would eat each other alive.

A Jewish community is required by the Torah to appoint “judges and officers… in all your gates” (Deut. 16:18). A Beth Din is therefore invested with authority from the Almighty and members of a community are duty bound to heed its summons and obey its ruling.

To the argument that previous generations might have had judges of greater calibre, the Talmud replies, “Jephthah in his generation is like Samuel in his”.

At times in history a Beth Din could impose punishment or other sanctions; today, outside Israel, it has no sheriff or police force, but nonetheless there is a religious and moral obligation to comply with its determinations.

This entry is filed under Ask The Rabbi, Law & Government.

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