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20-553: The Yeshiva was established in 1933 by Rabbi Dovid Leibowitz , a great-nephew of the Chofetz Chaim. Leibowitz was a disciple of Nosson Tzvi Finkel and he also studied under Naftoli Trop at the Yeshiva in Radun, Belarus . The yeshiva was named for Leibowitz's great uncle, Rabbi Yisroel Meir Kagan , who had died that year. It is officially named Yeshivas Rabbeinu Yisrael Meir HaKohen, but

40-505: A beth din and adjudicate complex cases involving highly technical points of law. A beth din is only required for conversions and gittin (divorce documents), although lay people are permitted to sit on the beth din for conversions. In addition to this there are batei din around the world who supervise the following matters: A beth din is sometimes used within the Orthodox Jewish community to resolve civil disputes, with

60-578: A decade or more there, studying a traditional yeshiva curriculum focusing on Talmud , mussar ("ethics"), and halakha ("Jewish law"). The yeshiva is known for six primary characteristics that distinguish it from other schools: The network of affiliated schools was selectively built over many decades by Henoch, including, in 1964, the first Israeli branch. 40°43′23″N 73°49′2.03″W  /  40.72306°N 73.8172306°W  / 40.72306; -73.8172306 Rabbi Dovid Leibowitz Dovid Leibowitz (May 15, 1887 – December 4, 1941)

80-441: A thorough search has proved unfruitful, halakha provides that even one Orthodox Jew can establish a beth din , since every Orthodox community is required to establish its own beth din . In Orthodox Judaism , the traditions state that a beth din consists of three observant Jewish men, at least one of whom is widely knowledgeable in halakha , to be capable of instructing the other members in any matters of halakha relevant to

100-557: A woman as a member. In progressive communities, as well as in other non-Orthodox streams of Judaism, women do serve on the beth din . In practice, a permanent beth din will consist of three rabbis, while a beth din for an occasional matter (such as handling religious vows) need not consist of rabbis. A beth din which handles cases involving complex monetary issues or large community organizations requires "judges" ( dayanim , singular: dayan ), who require an additional semikhah ( yadin yadin ) which enables them to participate in such

120-657: Is a rabbinical court of Judaism . In ancient times, it was the building block of the legal system. Today, it is invested with legal powers in a number of religious matters ( din Torah , "matter of litigation", plural dinei Torah ) both in Israel and in Jewish communities in the diaspora , where its judgments hold varying degrees of authority (depending upon the jurisdiction and subject matter) in matters specifically related to Jewish religious life. Rabbinical commentators point out that

140-552: Is better known today as Yeshivas Chofetz Chaim , so named for Leibowitz's great-uncle, who was known as the " Chofetz Chaim ". Leibowitz died of a heart attack on Thursday December 4, 1941. His funeral was held on Sunday December 7, 1941 . The yeshiva was headed for the following sixty-seven years by his only son, Henoch Leibowitz . Beth din A beth din ( Hebrew : בית דין , romanized :  Bet Din , lit.   'house of judgment', [bet ˈdin] , Ashkenazic: beis din , plural: batei din )

160-634: Is often referred to simply as Chofetz Chaim ( Hebrew : חָפֵץ חַיִּים ), which is commonly used as a name for Kagan, after his book with the same title . Chofetz Chaim means "desires life" in Hebrew . The Yeshiva's first building was in Williamsburg, Brooklyn . In December 1955 it relocated to Forest Hills, Queens . Most recently, at the start of the 2003 academic year, the Yeshiva relocated to Kew Gardens Hills, Queens . After Leibowitz died in December 1941, he

180-457: The Shulkhan Arukh calling for civil cases being resolved by religious, instead of secular, courts ( arka'oth ). Modern Western societies increasingly permit civil disputes to be resolved by private arbitration , enabling religious Jews to enter into agreements providing for arbitration by a particular beth din in the event of a dispute. By this device, the rules, procedures, and judgement of

200-658: The Slabodka yeshiva , where he studied under Nosson Tzvi Finkel . In 1915 Leibowitz succeeded his father-in-law as rabbi of Šalčininkai . After six years he returned to Slabodka as a founding member of the Slabodka kollel . In January 1927, Leibowitz went to the United States as a fund-raiser for the kollel , and was invited to become the first rosh yeshiva (dean) of Mesivta Torah Vodaath . Among his students were Gedalia Schorr and Avraham Yaakov Pam . In 1933, Leibowitz founded

220-606: The beth din are accepted and can be enforced by secular courts in the same manner as those of a secular arbitration association. For example, in a 2018 decision, the Court of Appeal in Ontario, Canada, enforced an arbitration decision by the New York rabbinical court tribunal Beth Din (or Bais Din) of Mechon L'Hoyroa, in Brooklyn. However, the decisions of religious courts cannot be binding without

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240-460: The Rabbinical Seminary of America (RSA) in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. He did so after a dispute arose with Shraga Feivel Mendlowitz —head of Torah Vodaath—over the goals of Torah Vodaath, and consequent legal proceedings before a rabbinical court . Leibowitz served as RSA's first rosh yeshiva. The school, which later moved to Kew Gardens Hills, Queens

260-614: The Sanhedrin was still uncertain, divine opinion was sought through the Urim ve-Tumim (the parchment in the High Priest's breastplate, which was inscribed with the Name of God and could give supernatural clues). Given the suspension of semikhah , any beth din existing in medieval or modern times is in theory a court of laymen, acting as arbitrators. In practice, they are given greater powers than this by

280-454: The case being heard. The rabbis on the beth din do not have to be expert in all aspects of Jewish law, rather only the area in question. For example, a beth din for conversion need only have expertise in conversion, not necessarily in all areas of Jewish law. There are also a number of opinions that permit women to serve on a beth din . One such opinion is Rabbi Ben Zion Uziel . Despite this, there are no Orthodox batei din currently with

300-499: The classical semikhah (rabbinic ordination), the transmission of judicial authority in an unbroken line down from Moses. Since the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in 70 CE, or at the latest the abolition of the position of Nasi in 425 CE, the transmission of semikhah has been suspended. Attempts in the 16th century to reinstate the semikhah were unsuccessful; Rabbi Yosef Karo

320-501: The first suggestion in the Torah that the ruler divest his legal powers and delegate his power of judgment to lower courts was made by Jethro to Moses ( Exodus 18:14–26 ). This situation was formalised later when God gave the explicit command to "establish judges and officers in your gates" ( Deuteronomy 16:18 ). There were three types of courts ( Mishnah , tractate Sanhedrin 1:1-4 and 1:6): Participation in these courts required

340-499: The local takkanot ha-kahal (community regulations), and are generally composed of experienced rabbis. Modern training institutes, especially in Israel, confer a qualification of dayan (religious judge), which is superior to the normal rabbinical qualification. Even though, normally, an Orthodox beth din requires a minimum of three Jews knowledgeable and observant of halakha (Jewish law), in new communities and exigencies, providing

360-623: Was a Russian -born American rabbi . A disciple of Slabodka yeshiva in Lithuania , he went on to found Yeshivas Chofetz Chaim in the United States, where he served as rosh yeshiva (dean). As a teenager Leibowitz studied in the Radin Yeshiva , where he held private study sessions with his great-uncle and founder of the yeshiva— Yisrael Meir Kagan —helping him to write the last volume of his Mishnah Berurah . He also studied there under Naftoli Trop . In 1908 Leibowitz transferred to

380-413: Was one of the recipients of this semikhah . The Mishnah and Talmud distinguish between ritual or criminal matters and monetary matters ( issurim and mamonoth ), and impose different regulations for them, with criminal cases generally having much more stringent limitations. Courts ruled in both kinds of cases. Any question that could not be resolved by a smaller court was passed up to a higher court. If

400-399: Was succeeded as head by his son, Henoch Leibowitz , a role held in the 21st century by Dovid Harris and Akiva Grunblatt. The yeshiva houses a boys' secondary school or Mesivta , Yeshiva Preparatory High School, headed for many years by Rabbi Zechariah Fendel, an undergraduate yeshiva, and a rabbinical school that grants Semicha (ordination). Rabbinical students at the yeshiva often spend

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