According to a dayan at an Israeli beis din for monetary matters, Arabs occasionally approach batei din in Israel and request to be judged according to Jewish law, an Arutz Sheva report said on Sunday.

Rav Ido Rechnitz serves as a dayan for the Eretz Chemdah Gazit Batei Din, which mainly serves the Dati Leumi community in Eretz Yisrael but other sectors use their services as well, including Chareidim, secular people, and Arabs! The Arabs specifically request that the dayanim adjudicate their case according to Jewish halacha.

Is a Beis Din even allowed to adjudicate for a non-Jew according to halacha? Rav Rechnitz said that the Beis Din delved into the matter in depth and based their p’sak on piskei halacha in the Gemara and Rishonim which relate to situations in which a Beis Din judges for non-Jews.

“The default is to judge a goy according to the din of his religion or the society he comes from, but in a case where two parties – a Jew and a goy together – request that they be judged according to Jewish law, we conduct a Din Torah for them,” Rav Rechnitz said.

Rav Rechnitz brought a proof from the Rambam in Hilchos Melachim, which rules: “Two goyim who come before you to be judged by dinei Yisrael – and both of them want this – you conduct a Din Torah for them.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)