The Rishon Letzion, HaRav Yitzchak Yosef presided over the opening of the newly built Rabbinical Court in Haifa this afternoon together with the Minister of Religious Services David Azoulay and leaders of the Rabbinical court system in the city.

Rabbi Yosef was honored with the hanging of the mezuzah on the new building and spoke about the job of the rabbinical court. “Obviously not everything is permissible, but the court needs to strive for leniency. If something is prohibited then it is prohibited. One cannot enact a decree that goes against the teachings of the Shulchan Aruch and the accepted Halachik opinions.”

The Cheif Sephardic Rabbi also utilized the opportunity to attack former judges of the courts who continued to issue edicts even after they have retired. “There are some judges, who are Gedolei Torah, who have retired from the life of the courts but continue to write their own responsa and opinions. Many plaintiffs have arrived in Rabbinic court carrying these responsa. This sets up a scenario where plaintiffs and former judges believe that they are Beit Hillel and everyone else is Beit Shammai. We need to request, that these retired judges cease to do this. This only damages the Rabbinic Courts. The Rabbis who are not sitting in the court, as great as they are, do not have all of the information required to pass judgment.”

“The judges in the Rabbinical courts should not need to pass their judgement in fear of contradicting former judges who Gedolei Torah. They need to be free to make their own informed decisions.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)