CM Questions

Elky knew that the Yorkville Beis Din wouldn't give her enough money in her claim against her future "EX" husband Hertzl, so she sued him in the Yorkville Family Court. What does the S.A. call a person such as Elky that takes another Jew to Civil Court?

1. Average (Beinonis)
2. A Sinner (Choteh)
3. A Transgressor (Avarion)
4. A Wicked Person (Rasha)

Elky knew that the Yorkville Beis Din would not give her the money she wanted from her ex-husband, so she took him to the Yorkville Family Civil Court. But the judge in this court found in favour of her husband Hertzl, and didn't award her any money! "While the Yorkville Beis Din would never have awarded me as much as I originally wanted, anything they award will be better than nothing!" thought Elky to herself. Can she now sue Hertzl in the Yorkville Beis Din for the funds she is demanding from him?

Moshe Khodedadian woke up to find that his Lexus ES350 was gone! He looked at his security camera footage and saw that it was stolen by none other than Lenny (the "Louse"). While Moshe unfortunately had left his keys in the car, which is how Lenny was able to drive away, he fortunately had an AirTag on his fob, and was able to track his car to a locked garage on Susquehanna Ave. Please select all the valid options for Moshe at this time:

1. Go to the Nassau County District Court and file a lawsuit, since the video evidence clearly shows it was Lenny (the "Louse") who stole the car.
2. Break into the garage on Susquehanna Ave and retrieve the car.

The Yorkville Beis Din could not take the case of Mr. Goldberg and Lenny (the "Louse") for another three months, and the two of them wanted to get this resolved quickly. They both knew they couldn't use the Yorkville Small Claims Court to settle their dispute, but didn't know of other options. Levy suggested that  they could get really fast service if they used "Yorkville Mediation, Arbitration, and ADR Services" - an arbitration service that is managed by gentiles. Are Mr. Goldberg and Lenny (the "Louse") permitted to use this service and have a gentile mediator help them reach a financial agreement?

Richard Kagan and Avishai Lewitan both invested $5 million in a new real estate project in Tel-Aviv.  Avishai's lawyers drew up a contract, which included the standard legal language that all disputes would be settled in the Tel-Aviv District Court - a civil court. Unfortunately, just as the project was finishing construction, Richard and Avishai got into a financial dispute. Are they permitted to settle this dispute in the Tel-Aviv District Court, as both of them signed on the contract that this would be the only place for dispute resolution?

Lenny (the "Louse") was so disappointed with the amount of extra cheese he got on his pizza from Moishe's Pizza that he actually cursed Moishe using Hashem's name! "Can you please refrain from cursing? My children are right here!" requested Mrs. Silverman, who was standing behind him. Lenny then felt bad and proceeded to curse himself using Hashem's name! What is the status of these two curses?

1. He violated a biblical prohibition for each.
2. Cursing Moishe was a biblical prohibition, but cursing himself was just a rabbinic prohibition.
3. Cursing himself was a biblical prohibition, but cursing Moishe was just a rabbinic prohibition.
4. He violated a rabbinic prohibition with each.

"That's all the cheese? But I ordered EXTRA cheese!" demanded Lenny (the "Louse"). But Moishe wasn't listening, as he knew that Lenny always complained, even when he gave him pizza with lots of extra cheese! "May God strike you down right now!" yelled out Lenny, scaring the Silverman boys who were waiting behind Lenny. What is the status of this English-language curse?

1. It is crude and inappropriate for a Jew to say these words, but nothing further.
2. It is a Rabbinical prohibition to say this curse.
3. It is a Biblical prohibition to say this curse.

Grandpa Shmuel penned a letter to his grandson in Israel, telling him that "G-d willing we will visit you after Pesach", put the paper into an envelope, and dropped it into the mail. Why is it important that Grandpa Shmuel write Hashem's name with a dash in place of the letter "o"?

1. Because a Jew is not permitted to write the name of G-d, even in English.
2. So that people will not suspect him of being a gentile.
3. In case his grandson disposes the letter by throwing it into the garbage bin.
4. In case his grandson reads the letter in the bathroom.

"Didn't you get my letter I sent two months ago?" asked Grandpa Shmuel while visiting his grandson Yitzchak Tzvi. "Grandpa, you already have an iPhone - let me show you how to send a message on WhatsApp." After the instructions, Grandpa Shmuel decided to write a text to his son Shlomo: "Thank God your son showed me how to send a message on this thing." How should he spell the name of God while writing this electronic message?

1. With a dash: G-d.
2. With an "o": God.
3. It doesn't matter in this case and either spelling is acceptable.

Richard Kagan was going through the upcoming wedding ceremony with Rabbi Cohen to ensure that everything would run smoothly on the big day. When Rabbi Cohen inquired about the two witnesses at the chuppah, Richard wanted two of his friends from the real estate industry - both of whom were religious men - to be witnesses. Unfortunately, both men had a flaw, as listed below. Please select which men - if any - are kosher to be a witness at a chupah?

1. Yaakov Tishman said, "May G-d punish him!" about Rabbi Toledano, when the Rabbi ruled against him in the Yorkville Beis Din.
2. Rafi Lefrak said, "May G-d punish him!" about a fellow Jew who had won a lawsuit against him in the Yorkville Beis Din.

Mrs. Khodedadian had just sat down in her Tesla after shopping at Great Neck Glatt. She saw a car in her rearview mirror pull out of the CVS at high speed and hit JoJo Shehebar's Lexus 460, which was parked directly behind her. This severely scratched and dented all the the side panels on the Lexus. But instead of stopping, the car just sped up Middleneck Road! Mrs. Khodedadian didn't get the license of the car, but she knew her Sentry Mode cameras got it. According to the S.A., what is her responsibility to give JoJo Shehebar information about the damage to his car?

1. She has no obligation at all, and would not even get a mitzvah for informing him.
2. She has no obligation, but she would get a mitzvah for informing him.
3. She is obligated to provide any and all information she has to him.

Mrs. Goldberg was in her car waiting to pull into a spot to go shopping at Grove Kosher Market. The current occupant of the spot backed out and smashed into the car on the opposite side of the aisle. But instead of stopping to leave a note, the driver left the scene in his car as quickly as possible! Mrs. Golberg noticed that the damaged car belonged to none other than Arnold Sunenshine! Mrs. Goldberg didn't catch the license plate, but she knew her dashcam recorded it all! According to the P.T. and the A.H., what is her responsibility to give Arnold evidence about the damage to his car?

1. She has no obligation at all, and would not even get a mitzvah for informing him.
2. She has no obligation, but she would get a mitzvah for informing him.
3. She is obligated to provide any and all evidence she has to him.

All 127 residents of Richard Kagan’s “Madison View” apartment sued him and his management company for financial impropriety. To prove their point, the residents subpoenaed Neil Silverman, the Jewish accountant for the management company, to testify in civil court against his boss, Richard Kagan. Because the head of the resident’s committee was the star of the wildly popular Netflix series Dept. Z, this lawsuit made all the news stations, and when he was interviewed on live TV, this man told the “world” that this religious Jew would testify and prove their case. Neil Silverman knew that if this case was held in a Beis Din, the most that the residents could claim would be a tenth of what they might win in civil court! According to the S.A., is Neil Silverman permitted to testify against fellow Jew Richard Kagan in this case?

All 127 residents of Richard Kagan’s “Madison View” apartment sued him and his management company for financial impropriety. To prove their point, the residents subpoenaed Neil Silverman, the Jewish accountant for the management company, to testify in civil court against his boss, Richard Kagan. While the members of the residents’ committee knew about the Jew Neil Silverman, no one else did, as this was just another case in a civil court filled will tenants suing landlords. However, Neil Silverman knew that if this case was held in a Beis Din and he was asked to testify as a single witness, the most that the residents could claim would be a tenth of what they might win in civil court! According to the S.A., is Neil Silverman permitted to testify against fellow Jew Richard Kagan in the Yorkville Civil Court, located in the USA?

All 127 residents of Richard Kagan’s “Madison View” apartment sued him and his management company for financial impropriety. To prove their point, the residents subpoenaed Neil Silverman, the Jewish accountant for the management company, to testify in civil court against his boss, Richard Kagan. While the members of the residents’ committee knew about the Jew, Neil Silverman, no one else did, as this was just another case in a civil court filled will tenants suing landlords. However, Neil Silverman knew that if this case was held in a Beis Din and he was asked to testify as a single witness, the most that the residents could claim would be a tenth of what they might win in civil court! According to the A.H., is Neil Silverman permitted to testify against fellow Jew Richard Kagan in the Yorkville Civil Court, located in the USA?

Richard Kagan lost his case against the “Madison View Residents Committee” and was ordered to pay $250,000 to the committee, which included $25,000 in actual damages and $225,000 in punative and emotional damages. The residents' committee won the case only due to the testimony of the one Jew Neil Silverman. Can Richard sue this single Jewish witness in the Yorkville Beis Din for any amount he had to pay in civil court compared to a judgement in a Beis Din. How will the Beis Din rule?

1. They will force Neil Silverman to pay Richard Kagan $250,000.
2. They will force Neil Silverman to pay Richard Kagan $225,000.
3. They will not force Neil Silverman to pay Richard Kagan any money.

All 127 residents of Richard Kagan’s “Madison View” apartment sued him and his management company for financial impropriety, and subpoenaed Neil Silverman, the Jewish accountant for the management company, to testify in civil court against Richard Kagan. As no one besides the litigants knew about this case, Neil didn't want to testify, and therefore ignored the subpoena. When he didn't show up at the trial at the Yorkville Civil Court, the residents' committee asked the judge to force Neil to appear. The judge rescheduled the hearing and then had the bailiff inform Neil that if he didn't appear at this next hearing he would be held in contempt of court and jailed. According to the A.H., must Neil give up his freedom and sit in jail, and not testify against a fellow Jew in civil court?

1. Yes. As this involved a negative commandment to not testify against his fellow Jew in civil court, Neil must give up everything, including his freedom, and sit in jail.
2. No. Neil is not required to give up his freedom, and is permitted to testify truthfully in this case.

Reuven needed to borrow $1000, and the local gemach couldn't help him. But when he mentioned this to his gentile neighbor, Old Man Smith, in the elevator, he said he would be happy to oblige. Rabbi Cohen on the first floor witnessed the loan. "I don't need a document with such a holy man as a witness" said Old Man Smith. Unfortunately, those were nearly the last words he spoke, as he died shortly after returning to his apartment! His adult son and daughter eventually arrived to clean out the apartment, but they had no idea about this loan. What is Rabbi Cohen's obligation (as a witness to the loan) to inform the Civil Probate Court about this loan?

1. He is permitted to inform the Probate Court.
2. He is obligated to inform the Probate Court.
3. He is forbidden to inform the Probate Court, but there would not be any punishment by Beis Din if he did.
4. He is forbidden to inform the Probate Court, and he would be punished by Beis Din if he did.

The S.A. requires two witnesses who give testimony, and to do so only in person. A written affidavit, for example, would not suffice. Yet, Beis Din will accept documents such as loan contracts and wills, which have the signatures of two kosher Jews at the bottom, and will not require these two Jews to appear in the Beis Din and testify as to the validity of the contract. Why are the two witnesses who signed on these documents not required to appear in Beis Din?

1. The Torah never obligated witnesses of financial transactions to appear in court.
2. The Rabbis decided to be lenient with these types of financial documents.
3. Signatures are equivalent to actual witnesses in court.

Chazan Seymour Schwartzman (emeritus) needed some extra cash, and so after shacharis he approached Levy and asked to borrow $1000. "No problem, Reb Sy." He called over the Rabbi and the (current) Chazan who gladly witnessed the loan. But 30 days later, Reb Sy didn't pay back the money. "What loan?" he said. Perhaps it was early dementia, but still Levy wanted his money back and took the Chazan (emeritus), along with his two witnesses, to the Yorkville Beis Din. Will the judges on the Beis Din interrogate the witnesses, Rabbi Cohen and Chazan Solomon, separately, in order to determine if their testimony is truthful and that they concur one with the other?