Jewish Law (Mishpat Ivri) and Foundations of Israeli Law
Foundations of Israeli law
Know the sources: Ottoman law, Mandatory law, Israeli legislation, and the judicial "judge-made" law. Understand the role of precedent (stare decisis), the Basic Laws, and the influence of Jewish law as a source of inspiration (not binding as such). Trap: Jewish law is not a direct source of binding civil law, but it may inform interpretation and is applied in religious courts.
Mishpat Ivri
Know the core institutions: the bet din, the rules of evidence in Jewish law, the principles of justice (tzedek), and the concept of "dina demalchuta dina" (the law of the land is the law). Understand the rules on damages (nezek, tza'ar, shevet, boshet) and the distinction between monetary and ritual matters.
Worked rule of thumb
For any question on foundations: identify the layer of law (Ottoman, Mandatory, Israeli, judicial) and whether the issue is one of binding law or of interpretive inspiration.