The following terms have been used in this document or may appear in other agunah writings:
AISHET ISH - A married woman. One who is not free to marry another man because Torah law prohibits a woman from being married simultaneously to more than one man
AGUNAH (pl: AGUNOT) - A married woman who may not remarry because the death of her husband has not been verified or because she is unable to obtain a Get from her husband
BEIT DIN (pl: BATEI DIN) - A rabbinic court
DAYYAN (pl: DAYYANIM) - A judge on a rabbinic court
GET(pl: GITTIN) - A Jewish document of divorce written by hand at the request of the husband. Note: Because of the intricacies of writing a halakhically correct Get, the person who actually pens the Get must be an expert, and a functionary of the beit din
GET ME'USEH- A forced Get; one which may be considered invalid
HAFKA'AT KIDDUSHIN - Invalidation of a marriage for a technical reason
HALAKHAH - Jewish law, including rabbinic decisions, made throughout history
HALITZAH - A ceremony freeing a childless widow from the obligation of marrying the brother of her deceased husband
HAZMANAH (pl: HAZMANOT) - Summons to appear before a beit din
HECHSHER - Rabbinic endorsement (for example, that a product is kosher and is ritually fit for use or consumption)
HETER - Literally, permit or permission; frequently alludes to a lenient halakhic ruling
HETER ME'AH RABBANIM - Literally, permission of 100 rabbis
HUPPAH - The nuptial "canopy" under which the bride and groom are joined in marriage
IGGUN - The state of being an agunah
KEFIAH - "Coercion" - refers to coercion of a husband to the point where he willingly gives his wife a Get
KETUBBAH - A contract between husband and wife that commits the husband to support, feed, and satisfy his wife sexually and that entitles the wife to collect money in the event of a divorce
KIDDUSHEI TA'UT - A marriage entered into based on erroneous assumptions, including lack of knowledge about a defect in the husband that pre-existed the marriage. A beit din may declare that this marriage was never validly established, so there would be no need for a Get to end the marriage
KIDDUSHIN - The first of two ceremonies performed at the time of marriage. It is also known as erussin. The groom recites the formula harei at mekudeshet li... and immediately places a ring on the bride's finger creating the marital union.
MAMZER (pl: MAMZERIM) - Misbegotten offspring of an incestuous or adulterous relationship; often mistranslated as ?bastard? in the sense of one born out of wedlock
MAMZERUT - The state of being a mamzer
MESAREV GET - A recalcitrant husband, one who refuses to give his wife a Get despite being required to do so by the beit din
MI-SHUM IGGUNAH AKILU BAH RABBANAN - (An idiom) The principle that ?out of concern that she might otherwise become or remain an agunah, the rabbis were lenient.?
MUM - A serious blemish, a basis for a determination of kiddushei ta'ut
MUM NISTAR - A hidden blemish, one not revealed prior to the wedding
NISSU'IN - The second phase in the Jewish wedding ceremony after which the couple is considered legally married
PESAK - A rabbinic decision (verdict)
POSEK (pl: POSKIM) - A rabbinic decisor; a rabbi who is qualified to render a halakhic decision
PTUR (pl: PTURIM)- A document issued by a beit din indicating that spouses are free to remarry
SERUV - A declaration that a person is in contempt of a beit din
SHALIACH - An agent (in this context, for the writing and/or giving of a Get)
SHTAR BERURIN - A document required by some rabbinic courts which gives that court authority to determine all matters of the divorce including financial obligations and child custody. This document is likely to be binding in civil court.
SOFER - For purposes of Jewish divorce, the expert who actually pens the Get.
TAV L'METAV TANDU ME'L'METAV ARMELU- (An idiom) A strong presumption in Jewish law that it is preferable to sit as two than to sit as one (meaning that a woman would rather be married to anyone than to be single)
TO'EN, TO'ENET (pl: TOANIM, TOANOT) - People who function as lawyers or ?pleaders? in the rabbinic courts (batei din)
YIBBUM - A levirate marriage, one in which a childless widow marries the brother of her deceased husband for the purpose of bearing children in her deceased husband's name (levir in Latin means brother-in-law)
DISCLAIMER
This Guidebook is solely for informational purposes.
This guidebook is not intended to replace consultation with a rabbi or an attorney, nor is it intended to give legal or halakhic advice.
JOFA does not assume any responsibility for actions taken by any person as a result of information in this Guidebook.
The inclusion of a beit din in the Comparison Grid does not constitute and should not be viewed as an endorsement by JOFA.
To obtain a free copy of JOFA's Guide to Jewish Divorce and the Beit Din System email agunah@jofa.org
The Guide to Jewish Divorce and the Beit Din System includes the following sections: PLEASE NOTE: JOFA DOES NOT ENDORSE ANY PARTICULAR BEIT DIN
