A Badatz ( plural ) is a major Jewish beth din (

rabbi A rabbi (; ) is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi—known as ''semikha''—following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of t ...

nical court). The term is a modern one, and is an acronym for ("court of Justice"). In Israel, the term ''Badatz'' is often used to refer to the Badatz of the

Edah HaChareidis The Charedi Community of Jerusalem (, ''haEdah haCharedit'', Ashkenazi pronunciation: ''ho-Aideh HaCharaidis'' or ''ho-Eido ha-Chareidis''; "Community of God-Fearers") is a large Haredi Jewish communal organization based in Jerusalem. It has s ...

; however, it is not the title of this group, and other ''batei din'' use the title as well. It is often used in the context of

hechsher A hechsher or hekhsher (; "prior approval"; plural: ''hechsherim'') is a rabbinical product certification, qualifying items (usually foods) that conform to the requirements of halakha, Jewish religious law. Forms A hechsher may be a printed an ...

im (

kashrut (also or , ) is a set of Food and drink prohibitions, dietary laws dealing with the foods that Jewish people are permitted to eat and how those foods must be prepared according to halakha, Jewish law. Food that may be consumed is deemed ko ...

certification). In most Jewish communities, there has been a beit din, which was often headed by the

of the city, hence the nickname "Rabbad" - combining "Rabbi" and "

Av Beit Din The ''av beit din'' (), abbreviated ( ''avad''), was the second-highest-ranking member of the Sanhedrin during the Second Temple period and served as an assistant to the nasi. The av beit din was known as the "Master of the Court;" he was consid ...

." In various ultra-Orthodox communities today, there are three Jewish judges serving as a local badatz.

Badatz in Israel

Badatz is not a major beth din according to the laws of the State of Israel. Certain Badatz, such as that of the ultra-Orthodox community, do not recognize the authority of the State of Israel, and the judgments are not legally valid but only halakhic.

Rabbinical Courts

Rabbinical courts that use this title include: *'' Badatz Edah HaChareidis'' from

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

*''Badatz Igud Rabbonim'' of Rabbi Osher Yaakov Westheim *''Badatz Chassam Sofer'' from

Bnei Brak Bnei Brak ( ) or Bene Beraq, is a city located on the central Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean Israeli coastal plain, coastal plain in Israel, just east of Tel Aviv. A center of Haredi Judaism, Bnei Brak covers an area of 709 hectares (1,752 acre ...

, and Rabbis Shmuel Eliezer Stern and Yitzchok Shlomo Ungar *''Badatz Mehadrin'' of Rabbi Simcha HaKohen Kook and Rabbi Avraham Rubin *''Badatz Machzikei HaDas'' of

Belz Belz (, ; ; ) is a small city in Lviv Oblast, western Ukraine, located near the border with Poland between the Solokiya River (a tributary of the Bug River) and the Richytsia stream. Belz hosts the administration of Belz urban hromada, one of ...

*'' Badatz Beit Yosef'' of Rabbi

Ovadia Yosef Ovadia Yosef (, ; September 24, 1920 – October 7, 2013) also known as Maran (Hebrew language, Hebrew: מרן) "Our Master", was an History of the Jews in Iraq#Otoman rule, Iraqi-born Talmudic scholar, hakham, posek, and the Sephardi Jews, Sephar ...

*''Badatz Agudas Yisroel'' *''Badatz Yoreh Deah'' of Rabbis Shlomo Machpoud and Ovadia Yosef *''Badatz Chug Chassam Sofer'' of Rabbi A. Wosner *''Badatz of the Hisachdus Kehilas Hayereim'' *''Badatz of Toronto'' of Rabbi Amram Assayag *''Badatz Rabbinical Court'', based in Lakewood, New Jersey, with courtrooms around the U.S. *''Badatz Mekor Haim'', based in Queens, New York, of Rabbi

Eliyahu Ben Haim Eliyahu Ben Chaim (born August 4, 1940) is a Sephardi Jews, Sephardi rabbi, Talmudic scholar, and Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox Halakha, halachist. He is the Beth din#Officers of a beth din, Av Beit Din (head of the rabbinical court) of Mekor Haim ...

References

{{Kashrut Kosher food certification organizations Rabbinical organizations Hebrew words and phrases in Jewish law