"When did you have sex?": Why Israeli courts ask this during divorce

Israeli courts, both rabbinical and civil, ask divorcing couples about the date of their last intimate encounter. Attorney Roi Halfon explains that this question helps determine the date of the actual end of the marriage, which affects the payment of the ketubah and the division of property. The court considers not only the absence of intimacy but also other signs: separate sleeping, cessation of joint household management, and the start of new relationships. The question is not idle curiosity but a tool to reconstruct the real picture of the marriage's breakdown.

In divorce proceedings in Israel, courts—both rabbinical and civil—ask spouses: "When was the last time you had intimate relations?" This topic is covered in a publication on the legal website Psakdin. Its author, attorney Roi Halfon, a family law specialist, explains that the answer to this question has legal significance. It helps establish the date of the actual cessation of family life, which affects the payment of the ketubah (the Jewish marriage contract), the division of property, savings, and debts. The court considers not only the absence of intimacy but also other signs: separate sleeping, cessation of joint household management, and the start of new relationships. The question is not idle curiosity but serves as one way to reconstruct the real picture of the marriage's breakdown.