Dealing with get-refusers

Another week, another story of a wife being denied a get. Two such stories, in fact. In Manchester, Alan Moher lost his appeal against a court order to pay his wife maintenance until he gave her a get.

And in Israel, Yisrael Meir Kin, whose mother’s burial was delayed by rabbinical authorities until he agreed to grant his wife a get after 14 years, reneged on the agreement. The details of each case are different, as they are of every case of a wife being denied a get.

But the basic point is always the same. The rabbinical authorities say their hands are tied and there is nothing they can really do.

When a husband uses a get as a weapon against his former wife, they will sometimes come up with some sort of scheme to try to force the granting of a get.

But, as Yisrael Meir Kin’s case shows, even a mechanism as extreme as delaying a mother’s burial can prove useless. The reality is that rabbis’ hands are not tied.

It is a matter of will.

When the authorities wished to find a way around aspects of Shabbat observance, they came up with the modern form of eruv. This is an issue that can and must be dealt with.

Inspirational

Jack Morgan was just 20 when he was given the news that he had cancer. This week he died, aged 22.

In that time, he documented his treatment to his 25,000 Instagram followers and he helped fundraise for Chai Cancer Care. He set up an app for cancer patients. And he blogged, showing a wonderful talent for writing. In short, he was an inspiration.

His death is a tragedy. But truly, his memory is a blessing.