Rabbinic Authority, Volume 1

Rabbinic Authority: The Vision and the Reality introduces the English-speaking public to the parameters and scope of rabbinic authority in general, and the workings of the institution of the beit din (Jewish court of law) in particular. In this work, the author presents ten rulings in cases of Jewish civil law which he handed down as a member of a beit din panel. These piskei din (decisions) touch on issues of employment termination, tenure rights and severance pay, rabbinic contracts, issues in the not-for-profit boardroom, real estate brokerage commission, drafting a halakhic will, a revocable living trust agreement, the division of marital assets upon divorce, spousal abuse, and a father's duty to support his estranged children. Accompanying these presentations is an examination of the notion of rabbinic authority, the business judgment rule, and an agunah's ability to recover for the infliction of emotional stress.