Justice Minister: Step by step, Torah law will become binding in Israel
By Yair Ettinger, Jonathan Lis and Ofra Edelman
Justice Minister Yaakov Neeman took to the Knesset podium Tuesday to try to calm the political storm he caused this week when he said that "step by step, Torah law will become the binding law in the State of Israel." Neeman made his controversial remarks Monday evening at a convention on Jewish law in Jerusalem.
On Tuesday Neeman clarified his statements, saying they had been taken out of context. He said he meant that since the Israeli justice system is overburdened, an alternative system like the rabbinical court system could help relieve the pressure.
After his words on Monday were broadcast on Army Radio a day later, Neeman appeared in the Knesset. But he did not retract his statements. "I hear the calls from all directions and I want to point things in the right direction," Neeman told the Knesset.
"It is difficult for me to accept the things that were attributed to me, as though I had said that the laws of this country should be replaced with Torah laws. Yesterday I emphasized the importance of the rabbinical court system to the State of Israel. The Knesset is the legislator in Israel, and the interpretation of its laws is determined by the courts."
The justice minister reiterated his praise for the courts that "resolve financial disputes in accordance with the principles of Jewish law."
He says that "we must bring back the heritage of our fathers to the nation of Israel. The Torah has the complete solution to all the questions we are dealing with."...MORE...LINK
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