Fighting In Civil Court Instead Of Beis Din

Last week the residents of RBS were happy to hear that the Bostoner Rebbe of New York was coming back to RBS. He had not been here in a number of years, due to health issues and other personal issues, and was sorely missed by many. When he used to live here many years ago, I had some personal contact with the Rebbe and found him to be a warm and compassionate, and honorable, man.

After the Bostoner Rebbe arrived, many were surprised to find out that shortly after that the police were called in to arrest him.

It turns out that the dispute that has been running the past few years over the shul and social hall was more than just unclarity due to the rebbe's absence. It is part of a major argument in the family over who owns the property. The fight is between the son-in-law and the rebbe. The rebbe, and his other kids, claim it is his and was built with his money, while the son-in-law claims that it is his, he lent the rebbe the money, and the rebbe owes him a lot of money. They have been to court, which is why the rebbe was not able to come back for so long. Bechadrei has some of that information.

I don't want to get involved in their personal financials and arguments, and it is not for me to offer a half-baked opinion of who is right.

The only thing I would comment on is that they should be going to beis din to solve this dispute. The son-in-law is calling the police on his father in law, a respectable rebbe? They are fighting this out in civil court?

Thi sis another example of many that we have seen where the "big boys" go to court to solve their disputes rather than to beis din. Ponevezshe yeshiva, Satmar, Chabad and Gur and many others. Yet when a little guy, some anonymous person, wants justice and goes to the police or to court (even sometimes with permission form a rav) rather than to beis din they get slandered by the community for not going to beis din which is what frum people do.

A couple of cases that comes to mind are:

1. a few years ago a bais yaakov rejected a sefardi girl. After much pleading, her parents went to the Ministry of Education and filed a complaint. After that the school and parents slandered her for that, calling them a moser, sayign they are clearly not appropriate for the school if they would go to the civil authorities.
2. In Emannuel, Yoav Lalum brought a discrimination fight caused by the school separating the sefardi and ashkenazi kids with a physical barrier. he took it to court, resulting in the arrest of a group of parents. he has been slandered throughout the haredi press as a moser.

When the leaders of the nation go to civil court to settle their disputes, they should not complain then about the lack of respect shown to the batei din. They try to fight the government to give the batei din more authority, but then they themselves don't put their trust in the batei din. When the leaders of the nation go to civil court to settle their disputes, they should not complain when the regular people do as well.