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Key Facts: Israel Dayanut Exam Exam

624 ILS

Fee Per Examination Paper

Chief Rabbinate registration service on Gov.il

5 + 1

Five Written Papers Plus an Oral Examination

Chief Rabbinate information for dayanut candidates

9 Years

Study After the Age of 18 Required

Chief Rabbinate conditions for a dayanut certificate

27

Minimum Age for a Dayanut Certificate

Chief Rabbinate conditions for a dayanut certificate

2 Years

Certification Must Predate Appointment by No More

Dayanim Law 5715-1955 Section 3

427

Choshen Mishpat Simanim Covered Across Papers A to C

Chief Rabbinate dayanut subject divisions

The Chief Rabbinate of Israel certifies candidates for dayanut through five written Hebrew papers — Even HaEzer, Choshen Mishpat A, B and C, and the drafting of a judgment — followed by an oral examination before the committee, at a fee of 624 ILS per paper. The published eligibility conditions are nine years of study after the age of 18, 'Yoreh Yoreh' ordination, being married or previously married, being over the age of 27, and a recommendation. This OpenExamPrep bank provides 102 independent English-language practice questions covering that material.

Sample Israel Dayanut Exam Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to review concepts for the Israel Dayanut Exam exam. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 102+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1In Jewish civil jurisprudence (Shulchan Aruch Choshen Mishpat 3), what is the minimum panel composition of a valid Rabbinical Court (Beit Din) required to adjudicate standard monetary claims (דיני ממונות בגזילות וחבלות ובכל הדינים)?
A.A panel of three competent judges (בית דין של שלושה דיינים כשרים).
B.A single judge without any communal authorization or litigant consent.
C.A panel of seven ordained rabbis accompanied by two municipal officials.
D.An assembly of twenty-three judges (סנהדרי קטנה של עשרים ושלושה).
Explanation: Under the Mishnah (Sanhedrin 1:1) and Shulchan Aruch Choshen Mishpat 3:1, monetary claims (דיני ממונות) are adjudicated by a panel of three judges (שלושה). An expert judge (מומחה) may exceptionally judge alone if agreed upon by the parties or appointed by the community, but the standard Torah panel is three.
2Under Shulchan Aruch Choshen Mishpat 7 and 33, what is the halakhic rule regarding a Dayan who is related to one of the litigants by familial kinship (קרוב משפחה)?
A.The Dayan may judge the dispute provided both parties submit an affidavit declaring mutual respect.
B.The Dayan is fundamentally disqualified from sitting on the panel, and if a relative participated, the resulting judgment is completely void (פסול מדאורייתא ודינו בטל).
C.The Dayan may participate in the hearing provided they refrain from signing the written ruling.
D.The Dayan is disqualified only if related to the defendant, but fully qualified if related to the plaintiff.
Explanation: Under Shulchan Aruch CM 7:9 and 33:1, any relative disqualified from testifying as a witness is likewise disqualified from serving as a judge. If a relative sits on the court, the judgment is void ab initio by biblical law (מדאורייתא), even if all other judges concurred.
3Under Shulchan Aruch Choshen Mishpat 7:12, when is a Dayan disqualified from hearing a case because of a benefit that may accrue to them (נוגע בדבר)?
A.A judge is disqualified only if they own a controlling equity stake exceeding 51% in a corporate litigant.
B.A judge is never disqualified for financial interest unless convicted of criminal fraud.
C.Any direct or indirect financial interest, personal benefit, or relief from potential liability that could accrue to the judge from the outcome of the judgment disqualifies them from adjudicating.
D.A judge is disqualified only if their personal financial benefit from the verdict exceeds 10,000 ILS.
Explanation: Choshen Mishpat 7:12 states that a judge may not adjudicate any matter in which they have a side of benefit (כל דבר שיש לדיין בו צד הנאה). The Shulchan Aruch illustrates it: townspeople whose Torah scroll was stolen may not be judged by the judges of that town unless the town has another scroll; a bequest to 'the poor of my town' may not be adjudicated by the judges of that town; and tax matters may not be heard by the town's judges because they or their relatives have a share in the levy. Choshen Mishpat 7:7 is the separate disqualification of a judge who is a friend or an enemy of a litigant.
4Under Shulchan Aruch Choshen Mishpat 9:1, what constitutes prohibited bribery (איסור שוחד) for a Dayan?
A.Only accepting direct physical cash payments in gold coins on the day of the verdict.
B.Only accepting a financial bribe given on the express contractual condition to pervert the course of justice (להטות את הדין).
C.Only accepting physical luxury gifts delivered publicly before courtroom observers.
D.Both monetary payments and verbal courtesies, personal favors, or assistance (שוחד דברים), even if given with the intention that the Dayan should judge truly and impartially (לזכות את הזכאי).
Explanation: Under CM 9:1, taking bribery is prohibited even to render a true verdict ('אפילו לזכות את הזכאי'). Furthermore, bribery includes non-monetary courtesies and favors ('שוחד דברים'), such as a litigant removing a feather from the judge's garment or offering verbal honors.
5Under Shulchan Aruch Choshen Mishpat 12:2, what is the duty of a Rabbinical Court regarding proposing a compromise (פשרה / ביצוע) before issuing a strict verdict?
A.It is a mitzvah for the court to ask the litigants at the outset of the proceedings whether they desire strict Torah law (דין תורה) or an equitable compromise (פשרה).
B.The court is forbidden from ever proposing a compromise, and must strictly enforce absolute law without exception.
C.The court must impose an automatic mandatory 50-50 split of all claims regardless of the facts.
D.A compromise may only be offered if both litigants are ordained rabbinical scholars.
Explanation: Choshen Mishpat 12:2 states: 'Mitzvah to ask the litigants at the outset: Do you desire strict law or compromise?' The court should encourage a compromise (פשרה) before the verdict is finalized, as compromise fosters peace ('משפט שלום שפטו בשעריכם').
6Under Shulchan Aruch Choshen Mishpat 17:5, what is the halakhic prohibition regarding a Dayan listening to one litigant's arguments outside the presence of the other litigant?
A.It is fully permitted for a Dayan to conduct private ex-parte phone calls with each litigant to prepare the hearing.
B.It is strictly prohibited for a Dayan to hear the claims or arguments of one litigant without the other litigant being present, derived from the verse 'שמוע בין אחיכם'.
C.It is permitted provided the private conversation lasts no longer than 15 minutes.
D.It is permitted only if the Dayan takes handwritten notes on official court letterhead.
Explanation: CM 17:5 explicitly prohibits ex-parte communications: 'A judge is forbidden to hear the words of one litigant when the other is not present, and the litigant is likewise forbidden to present claims outside the presence of their adversary.' This ensures natural justice and prevents preliminary prejudice.
7Under Choshen Mishpat 11 and Rabbinical Court procedure, what measure may the Beit Din take if a defendant refuses to appear after being served with three proper summonses (הזמנות לדין כדין)?
A.The Beit Din automatically sentences the defendant's immediate family members to imprisonment.
B.The Beit Din enters the defendant's home and sells their household belongings without appraisal.
C.The Beit Din may issue an order of contempt / refusal (כתב סירוב) and grant the plaintiff permission to sue in the civil courts (רשות לתבוע בערכאות).
D.The Beit Din must dismiss the lawsuit permanently and prohibit the plaintiff from seeking any further legal recourse.
Explanation: Under CM 11:1-2, if a recalcitrant defendant refuses three summonses to appear in Beit Din, the Beit Din issues a summons refusal decree (כתב סירוב) and grants the plaintiff written permission to pursue the debt in the civil courts (ערכאות) to prevent injustice.
8Under Shulchan Aruch Choshen Mishpat 25:1-2, what is the halakhic consequence if a Dayan makes an error in explicit codified Halakhah (טעה בדבר משנה)?
A.The judgment is permanent and unalterable because all rabbinical decrees carry absolute finality.
B.The Dayan is sentenced to mandatory physical flagellation by the communal beadle.
C.The Dayan must pay the full judgment out of their own personal pocket while the verdict stands.
D.The judgment is null and void (חוזר הדין), and the case is reheard according to the correct law.
Explanation: Under CM 25:1, if a judge errs in an explicit Mishnaic/Talmudic or codified Shulchan Aruch ruling (טעה בדבר משנה), the judgment is reversed and nullified ('חוזר הדין'). Unlike an error in discretionary assessment (שיקול הדעת), an error in clear law cannot stand.
9Under Shulchan Aruch Choshen Mishpat 28:1, what is the general evidentiary rule regarding establishing a monetary obligation in Jewish law?
A.A monetary obligation or factual dispute can generally only be conclusively proven through the testimony of two qualified, independent witnesses (עדים כשרים).
B.A single witness is always sufficient to extract money (להוציא ממון) from a defendant without an oath.
C.Factual claims can only be proven through written confessions signed under notarized seal.
D.Circumstantial evidence alone is legally superior to the testimony of two live witnesses.
Explanation: Based on Deuteronomy 19:15 ('על פי שני עדים... יקום דבר'), Shulchan Aruch CM 28:1 establishes that in all monetary matters, facts and liabilities can only be established and money extracted on the testimony of two qualified witnesses (שני עדים כשרים).
10What is the primary halakhic legal function and evidentiary effect of the testimony of a single qualified witness (עד אחד) in monetary claims (Choshen Mishpat 87:1)?
A.A single witness has zero legal significance and is completely disregarded by the court.
B.A single witness does not extract money directly, but obligates the defendant to take an oath (מחייבו שבועה) to exempt themselves from the claim.
C.A single witness empowers the plaintiff to immediately attach 50% of the defendant's real estate assets.
D.A single witness automatically converts the civil claim into a criminal prosecution.
Explanation: Under CM 87:1, while one witness cannot extract money from a defendant who denies the claim, the testimony of a single qualified witness has the legal power to impose an oath upon the defendant ('עד אחד קם לשבועה'). If the defendant refuses to swear, they must pay.

About the Israel Dayanut Exam Exam

The Israel Rabbinic Court Dayanut Examination (בחינות הסמכה לדיינות) is the certification process run by the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, and Section 3 of the Dayanim Law 5715-1955 makes a person qualified for appointment as a dayan only if the Council of the Chief Rabbinate certified them within the two years preceding the appointment. Under Section 5 of that Law dayanim are then appointed by the President of the State on the proposal of the Committee for the Selection of Dayanim. The Chief Rabbinate publishes the requirements for a dayanut certificate: nine years of study after the age of 18, a recommendation, 'Yoreh Yoreh' ordination, being married or previously married, being over the age of 27, payment of the fee, and passing the papers in Choshen Mishpat A, B and C, Even HaEzer and the drafting of a judgment, followed by an oral examination before the committee. The official papers are written in Hebrew as extended halakhic problems and source analysis. This practice bank is an independent English-language multiple-choice study adaptation of the same body of material; it is not an official translation and does not simulate the written or oral papers.

Exam sponsor: Chief Rabbinate of Israel (הרבנות הראשית לישראל). The requirements and fees below concern the certification or admission exam, separate from our free practice resources.

Assessment

Five written papers — Even HaEzer, Choshen Mishpat A, Choshen Mishpat B, Choshen Mishpat C, and drafting a judgment (ניסוח פסק דין) — followed by an oral examination before the committee, as the Chief Rabbinate publishes for the dayanut certificate

Time Limit

Not published by the Chief Rabbinate; the examinations begin at a fixed hour announced for each sitting

Passing Score

Not published by the Chief Rabbinate; a grade appeal may be filed through the Gov.il service

Exam / Certification Fees

624 ILS per examination paper

Exam sponsor website

Fees, eligibility, and exam policies can change. Confirm them with the exam sponsor before applying or paying.

Our practice resources: topics covered

We aim to reflect publicly available exam outlines and topic information in our study resources. Coverage, format, and difficulty may differ from the actual exam, and we cannot guarantee that every detail is accurate or current. Confirm exam requirements, fees, and policies with the official exam sponsor.

25%

Choshen Mishpat A (simanim 1-74): Judges, Evidence, Procedure and Loans

Hilchot Dayanim — composition of the court, disqualification for kinship, friendship, enmity or benefit, bribery including שוחד דברים, the ban on ex parte hearing, compromise and the summons procedure; Hilchot Edut — the two-witness rule, the single witness and the oath, disqualification for kinship and for wrongdoing, contradiction and refutation of witnesses; deeds, their authentication and the shtar amana; and Hilchot Halva'ah — the creditor's duties, execution against a debtor's assets, and the grades of land from which debts are collected.

25%

Choshen Mishpat B (simanim 75-188): Pleadings, Oaths, Security and Partnership

Hilchot To'en VeNitan — certain and uncertain pleas, partial admission and the biblical oath, complete denial and shevuat heset, Migo and the rolling of oaths; liens on the person and on property and collection from encumbered land sold to third parties; guarantees, including the ordinary guarantor and the arev kablan; and the law of partnership and agency between partners.

25%

Choshen Mishpat C (simanim 189-427): Acquisition, Sale, Neighbours and Torts

Modes of acquisition for land and for movables, kinyan sudar, chatzer and four cubits, and the force of commercial custom (סיטומתא); asmachta and the clauses that overcome it; ona'ah in price and in speech, and latent defects; theft and the effect of despair and change of domain; the four primary categories of damage, tam and mu'ad, pit, fire, a person who damages, the five heads of personal injury, and the line between grama and garmi; and the distancing of nuisances and visual intrusion between neighbours.

15%

Even HaEzer: Marriage, Ketubah, Divorce and Agunot

Kiddushin and the constitutive role of the witnesses, the minimum value of a prutah, the ketubah and the categories of dowry property, spousal maintenance, the rebellious spouse, forfeiture of the ketubah, the writing of a get lishma and the coerced get, the grounds on which a court may compel a divorce, the evidentiary leniencies for freeing an agunah, and marriages on which kiddushin does not take effect.

10%

Drafting a Judgment and the Israeli Statutory Interface

The contents a judgment must have under Regulation 115 of the Rabbinical Courts Regulations of Procedure 5753-1993, the duty to determine the facts and give reasons, and the grounds of appeal to the Great Rabbinical Court; together with the statutory setting in which an Israeli dayan works — the Dayanim Law 5715-1955, the Rabbinical Courts Jurisdiction (Marriage and Divorce) Law 5713-1953 and the binding of ancillary matters, the Spousal Property Relations Law 5733-1973, enforcement of divorce judgments, custody and child maintenance.

Preparing for the Israel Dayanut Exam Exam

What You Need to Know

  • Passing score: Not published by the Chief Rabbinate; a grade appeal may be filed through the Gov.il service
  • Assessment: Five written papers — Even HaEzer, Choshen Mishpat A, Choshen Mishpat B, Choshen Mishpat C, and drafting a judgment (ניסוח פסק דין) — followed by an oral examination before the committee, as the Chief Rabbinate publishes for the dayanut certificate
  • Time limit: Not published by the Chief Rabbinate; the examinations begin at a fixed hour announced for each sitting
  • Exam / certification fees: 624 ILS per examination paper Official sources

Using Our Practice Resources

  • Work through all 102 available questions
  • Review every answer and explanation
  • Track weak areas and revisit them
  • Use our AI tutor for tough concepts

Israel Dayanut Exam: Suggested Study Strategy

1Master the fundamental Simanim of Choshen Mishpat Part 1, especially Siman 12 on Din Torah versus compromise (pesharah) and Simanim 28–38 on disqualification of witnesses by kinship or sin.
2Understand the application of the migo doctrine in Hilchot To'an VeNitan and how it interacts with admissions (hoda'ah) and the burden of proof (hamotzi mechavero alav hare'ayah).
3Thoroughly analyze Even HaEzer on Ketubot, specifically distinguishing between tzon barzel and nichsei milog assets, and understanding when a wife forfeits her ketubah.
4Study the interplay between halakhic property rules and Israeli statute, particularly the balancing of resources under Section 5 of the Spousal Property Relations Law 5733-1973 and Section 13 of that Law, which governs how it applies in the rabbinical courts.
5Work through the Rabbinical Courts Regulations of Procedure 5753-1993 on summonses, interim orders, the required contents of a judgment under Regulation 115, and appeal to the Great Rabbinical Court within thirty days under Regulation 138.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the 'Kosher LeDayanut' (כושר לדיינות)?

The certificate of fitness for dayanut (תעודת כושר לדיינות) is issued by the Council of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel to a candidate who has met the published conditions and passed the written papers and the oral examination. Section 3 of the Dayanim Law 5715-1955 makes a person qualified for appointment as a dayan only if the Council certified them within the two years preceding the appointment; Section 5 provides that the President of the State then appoints dayanim on the proposal of the Committee for the Selection of Dayanim.

What examinations are required to earn the Dayanut certificate?

Five written papers — Even HaEzer, Choshen Mishpat A (simanim 1-74), Choshen Mishpat B (simanim 75-188), Choshen Mishpat C (simanim 189-427) and the drafting of a judgment (ניסוח פסק דין) — followed by an oral examination before the committee. The Chief Rabbinate publishes past papers in each of these subjects on Gov.il.

What is the statutory fee for Dayanut examinations in 2026?

624 ILS per examination paper, as published on the Chief Rabbinate's Gov.il registration service for the certification examinations. Registration runs through the government personal area and requires a valid Israeli identity card; candidates abroad apply through the Chief Rabbinate's public enquiries system with a passport copy.

How do Rabbinical Courts interact with Israeli Civil Courts?

In Israel, Rabbinical Courts have exclusive statutory jurisdiction over Jewish marriage, divorce, and the ketubah. However, ancillary matters like matrimonial property division and custody can be heard either in the Rabbinical Court (if sincerely and lawfully bound to the divorce claim) or in the Civil Family Court, depending on where the claim was first properly filed (the 'race of jurisdictions'). Furthermore, the High Court of Justice (HCJ) exercises judicial review over rabbinical courts to ensure they act within statutory authority and apply civil property statutes like the Spousal Property Relations Law.

Is this practice bank an official exam simulation?

No. The official examinations consist of advanced halakhic essay questions, source analysis, and ruling drafting in Hebrew. This OpenExamPrep question bank is an independent English-language MCQ study adaptation created to test the legal doctrines, evidentiary principles, and procedural rules of halakhic jurisprudence.

When are the Dayanut examinations held?

The Chief Rabbinate opens registration periodically and publishes each sitting on Gov.il rather than following a fixed published calendar. Registration for the sitting set for 22.03.2026 ran from 18.12.2025 to 10.01.2026, and the Chief Rabbinate then postponed that sitting for security reasons to 27.04.2026. The dayanut subjects opened for registration were Choshen Mishpat A, B and C, Even HaEzer and the drafting of a judgment.