The Tzohar Rabbis organization is under fire for marrying a kohen and a divorced woman. The story begins in the summer of 5770, when the Ashdod Rabbinate ruled ‘M’ is a kohen and therefore, he cannot marry ‘T’, who is a divorcee.

M’s dad decided to go to the regional level beis din where he hoped to declare he is not a kohen. The rabbonim heard from the father and reviewed the file which contained the opinion of HaGaon Rav Chaim Shimon Pinto Shlita, Chief Rabbi of Ashdod. He ruled the father is in the category of ‘chezkas kohen’ (בחזקת כהן) and therefore, his son is the same and may not marry T.

Dayanim Rav Yekutiel Cohen, Rav Michael Tzadok and Rav Mordechai Ralbag wrote up their ruling, explaining the family was checked and it has been determined the M is a kohen and has been known to ‘duchen’ as kohanim do in shul as well as getting an aliyah as a kohen.

The dayanim continue that the other aspect of his behavior is not in line with that of a kohen, as he would visit cemeteries and there was no sign on the matzeivah of his dad that he was a kohen. This is the reason “HaKohen” was written in his kesuva, and therefore, his actions cannot serve as testimony supporting the contention that he is not a kohen.

The beis din documented that he is not a religious person and not too knowledgeable in the ways of mitzvos and a Torah life.

The beis din learned the women’s family favored the wedding too despite the fact the beis din ruled the chosson is a kohen in the eyes of halacha.

The families then turned to Tzohar Rabbonim in Lod, without telling Tzohar officials, who understood the couple are free to get married and approved by the Rabbanut, unaware the chosson is a kohen.

The psak din written recently by a Rabbanut beis din recently, which is ruling over the couple’s divorce, states Tzohar married the couple despite the fact there was a question regarding one of the witnesses, who was not shomer Shabbos. The beis din also decided the other issues are not required for a ‘get’ as the marriage should not have taken place between a kohen and divorce and therefore, the beis din was willing to order the divorce. However, the Rabbanut probed how the Gush Etzion Rabbinate, where Tzohar Rabbonim registered the marriage, did not discover the marriage was a prohibited one in the first place since one of the documents required from the chosson was one attesting to the fact he is not a kohen since it was not a first marriage. The Rabbinate has learned Tzohar did not investigate this aspect at all.

A letter was sent to the marriage registration unit in Gush Etzion explaining Chief Rabbi Dovid Lau awaits an explanation as to how this marriage was permitted and registered.

According to the ‘Kol Hazman’ report, Tzohar did not respond after being contacted numerous times. the organization finally responded with a warning, that if anything that is not factual is discovered in the report, it would weigh taking legal action.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)