Gett Informed

Q: What is a Gett?

A: A Gett is a document written and prepared by a Bet Din (Jewish court) when a Jewish marriage is ended or terminated through a special divorce ceremony.

Q: If I am civilly divorced, is a Gett necessary?

A: Yes, Jewish law requires the man to give his wife the Gett in order to be fully separated and this cannot be substituted by a civil divorce under any circumstance because in the eyes of Jewish law without the Gett, the husband and wife are still married in the eyes of Hashem.

Q: Who is present at the Gett ceremony and what is required?

A: There must be 2-3 witnesses observing the Gett ceremony and their signature as well as the signature of the husband and wife are required on this document.

Q: When should a wife receive the Gett from her husband?

A: When a husband and wife are having marital problems Jewish law requires them to try to fix the problem first and typically the time frame in order to do so is between 12-18 months.

Q: My spouse and I are having marital problems but would like to try and work through it, who should we contact?

A: The couple should try to fix their issues internally or through therapy with rabbinical supervision preferably.

Q: It has been 12-18 months of trying to work on our marriage but nothing has worked to better our situation, what should I do?

A: The process of separation may begin if Shalom Bayit is not possible. Usually in most cases when both parties agree to a mutual separation it is a pretty simple process, Both husband and wife go to the Bet Din of their choice where a Sofer (a special trained craftsman who writes holy text on parchment(claf) using a traditional form of Hebrew) who acts as the husbands agent to write the divorce document.

Q: My spouse is unwilling to go to Bet Din, what should I do?

A: Contact The LEV Organization and we will guide you to a reputable Bet Din for you to state your case. The Bet Din will then request that your spouse come to the Bet Din as well to state their case.