Israel Dayanut Exam key terms

The formal betrothal by which a woman becomes legally bound to a man, effected by money, document, or sexual intercourse, though she remains financially dependent on her father until Nissu'in.

The second stage of marriage, bringing the bride into the husband's domain and completing the marital bond, after which full marital obligations and rights take effect.

A marriage contract obligating the husband to pay a fixed sum to his wife upon divorce or his death, and listing his duties of support; it also serves as a lien on his property.

A bill of divorce written and delivered by the husband to his wife with proper intent, witnessed by two valid witnesses, and handed over in a legally valid manner.

The act of physically transferring the divorce document to the wife, or placing it in her domain, which completes the divorce when done with proper intent and valid witnesses.

A legally effective act of acquisition, such as pulling, lifting, or symbolic transfer, by which ownership or obligations are transferred in monetary and marital matters.

Acquisition by pulling or drawing a movable object into one's possession, the standard mode of kinyan for movables in Jewish monetary law.

A written legal document, such as a deed, contract, or court record, that serves as proof of a transaction or obligation and carries evidentiary weight.

Bailees entrusted with another's property, divided into four categories (unpaid, paid, borrower, renter) with differing levels of liability for loss, theft, or damage.

The branch of civil law dealing with damages and torts, including harm caused by persons, animals, fire, and pits, and the compensation owed for such injury.

A person or entity that causes damage to another's person or property, creating an obligation to compensate under the laws of damages.

A partnership in which two or more parties jointly hold and manage property or a business, sharing profits and losses according to their agreement or investment.

Testimony given by valid witnesses before a court, which is the primary means of establishing facts in Jewish judicial procedure.

Witnesses who are legally qualified to testify, meaning adult, mentally competent, observant Jews who are not relatives of the parties or otherwise disqualified.

Disqualification of a witness due to kinship with a party, involvement in the matter, or a defect such as wickedness, rendering that person's testimony inadmissible.

The ordered procedure of a rabbinic court, covering how claims are heard, how witnesses are examined, how evidence is weighed, and how judgment is rendered.

A rabbinic court composed of qualified judges that adjudicates monetary, marital, and ritual matters according to halachah and its established procedures.

A qualified judge ordained to adjudicate Jewish law, who must possess expertise in halachah, integrity, and the ability to reason carefully in complex cases.

The body of laws distinguishing forbidden from permitted things, especially in food, and the principles by which mixtures and doubtful cases are resolved.

The nullification of a forbidden substance when it is mixed into a permitted one in a proportion small enough that the prohibition is annulled, subject to detailed rules.

A mixture of permitted and forbidden foods, whose status depends on the proportion, the nature of the substances, and whether the forbidden taste is detectable.

The system of dietary laws governing which foods may be eaten, how they must be prepared, and how kosher status is supervised and maintained.

Objects set aside and not designated for Shabbat use, which may not be moved on Shabbat except in limited permitted circumstances.

A category of creative labor prohibited on Shabbat, derived from the work performed in building the Tabernacle, and applied by analogy to modern activities.

A legal device, either a shared food or a boundary marker, that symbolically unites domains or courtyards so that carrying and cooking are permitted on Shabbat and festivals.

The process by which a non-Jew becomes Jewish, consisting of acceptance of the commandments, immersion in a mikveh, and circumcision for males, before a qualified court.

A person born from a union forbidden by halachah with the penalty of excision, who may marry only another mamzer or a convert, and whose status is inherited.

A woman whose husband has disappeared or refuses to grant a divorce, leaving her unable to remarry because no valid get has been delivered.

A woman in a state of menstrual impurity, who must observe separation from her husband and later immerse in a mikveh before marital relations resume.

A pool of naturally gathered water of prescribed minimum volume, in which a person immerses to transition from ritual impurity to purity.

The internal examination performed near the end of the expected menstrual period, marking the beginning of the seven clean days required before immersion.

An oath invoking God's name to affirm or deny a fact or obligation, whose false or unnecessary utterance creates liability and requires atonement.

A vow by which a person prohibits something to himself or others, creating a binding religious obligation that may be annulled only through proper procedure.

The annulment of vows, performed before a court or scholar through a formal request in which the vow's binding nature is dissolved on specified grounds.

A method of intense analytical legal reasoning that compares and reconciles sources, drawing fine distinctions to derive or defend halachic conclusions.

Written replies of halachic authorities to questions posed to them, which serve as precedent and guidance for applying Jewish law to new circumstances.

A written responsum by a halachic authority answering a specific query, often citing sources and reasoning to reach a practical ruling.