Israel’s Chief Rabbi, Rav Kalman Meir Ber, welcomed the Knesset’s approval of the arbitration law on Monday night, calling it a long-overdue correction of an ongoing historical injustice affecting both the public and rabbinical judges.

He explained: “One must understand the absurdity: for years, anyone who wished to conduct arbitration in monetary matters could do so in any forum—except before rabbinical judges in rabbinical courts.”

He continued: “This is an absurd and outrageous situation, both for the public that wishes to adjudicate according to Torah law and for the judges who studied for years and developed expertise in these areas. The authorities seemingly recognize the judgment of everyone—except the judgment of Torah scholars who have spent many years mastering monetary law. This is an unacceptable situation, especially in a Jewish state.”

The Chief Rabbi noted that the need to correct this issue has long been clear to anyone familiar with it and has drawn agreement across different sectors. He said: “At the ceremony for appointing judges at the President’s Residence, I spoke about this issue, and there was broad consensus across the board.”

He also expressed gratitude to those who advanced the legislation, particularly MK Moshe Gafni, stating: “who for many years worked behind the scenes with determination to formulate the legal and political framework that would allow for its approval—as indeed occurred last night in the Knesset plenum.”