Rabbinic Authority, Volume 5

Book excerpt: In this fifth volume of his groundbreaking series on rabbinic authority, Rabbi Warburg discusses the case of the modern-day agunah, a wife who is unable to obtain a divorce due to her husband' s recalcitrance. For the first time in English, this monograph discusses utilizing the technique of the double halakhic doubt (sefek sefeika de'dina) as a vehicle to void a marriage, in order to address the plight of the agunah. This volume is devoted primarily to demonstrate how a beit din or rabbinical authority(ies) can take care of this complicated issue, especially for those decisors who reject the various other options to void a marriage.