with Idan Scher
The Torah views marriage as a vital institution in Jewish life. But the Torah also recognizes that in some cases marriages do not work out and need to be ended. In order to do so, the husband must willingly give, and the wife must willingly receive, a Jewish bill of divorce, known as a Gett. In the absence of a Gett, the husband and wife are both precluded from remarrying. Later offspring of the wife may bear the stigma of mamzerut (illegitimacy). In some cases, spouses have purposely withheld a Gett even where their marriages have functionally ended. Some spouses have refused to participate in the Gett process in order to extract concessions in divorce negotiations, in order to extort money, or simply out of spite. Traditionally, rabbinical courts (Batei Din) have been charged with the responsibility of overseeing the process of Jewish divorce, and ensuring that Gett is not improperly withheld. However, in modern society Batei Din frequently lack the authority to do so. The Prenup is a document entered into by a man and woman prior to their marriage. It provides that in the unfortunate event of divorce, the Beit Din will have the proper authority to ensure that the Gett is not used as a bargaining chip. Join Rabbi Scher as he explores the various perspectives on this extremely important process.
Rabbi Idan Scher was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, but frequent trips to Ottawa to visit his large extended family always made the Nation’s Capital feel like his second home. Rabbi Scher is a dynamic and sought-after speaker, and a warm and engaging relationship-builder. And though he loves spending time with congregants inside the shul, he especially loves hosting guests for Shabbat meals at his home, together with his wife Shifra and their young son, Shlomo. Rabbi Scher earned an undergraduate degree from Yeshiva Shaar HaTorah in New York, a Masters degree in Talmudic Law from the Ner Israel Rabbinical College in Baltimore, and an M.A. in Public Policy and Management from John’s Hopkins University. He holds rabbinic ordination (semikha) from both Rabbi Zalman Nechemia Goldberg, the director of the Jerusalem Rabbinical Court, and from Rabbi Gedalya Schwartz, the director of the Beth Din of America. Rabbi Scher also studied at Yeshivas Brisk in Jerusalem, where he was a student of Rabbi Shalom Schechter. Rabbi Scher has replaced Rabbi Bulka and is the newly installed spiritual leader of Congregation Machzikei Hadas.
