Israeli Inheritance Terms Glossary: The Complete Guide (In Plain English)
Welcome to the glossary that will translate Israeli legal jargon into simple English. The Israeli Inheritance Law (1965) is filled with terms that might sound like ancient Greek, but behind each term lie crucial decisions about money, property, and your family's future. This glossary is designed to bring clarity, prevent costly mistakes, and help you write a will or manage an inheritance process with your eyes wide open.
Chapter 1: Basic Concepts – Who Are the Players and What's on the Table?
Estate
עיזבון (Izavon)
The complete sum of everything a person leaves behind. The estate includes all assets (apartments, cars, bank accounts, stocks, intellectual property rights) but also all the debts the deceased left behind.
⚠️ Common Trap: What doesn't enter the estate? Life insurance, pension funds, and provident funds (according to Section 147 of the law) are transferred directly to the registered beneficiaries at the insurance company, unless explicitly stated otherwise.
Testator / Deceased
מוריש (Morish)
The person who passed away and left behind property. In simple terms: the person who the money belonged to.
Heir / Beneficiary
יורש (Yoresh)
The person (or organization/association) entitled to receive a portion of the estate. The entitlement can stem from a will (because the testator chose them) or by force of law (because they are a family member).
Intestate Succession
ירושה על פי דין (Yerusha Al Pi Din)
The state's "autopilot" mechanism. This is the mechanism activated when a person dies without leaving a will (or the will was invalidated). The law distributes the property according to a fixed formula of blood relation and marriage (typically: half to the spouse, half to the children).
Freedom of Testation
חופש הציווי (Chofesh HaTzivui)
The supreme principle of Israeli inheritance law: the right of every person to do with their property as they wish after their death.
💡 Important to Know: In Israel, there is no such thing as a "Forced Share." Unlike Europe, a person in Israel can completely disinherit their spouse and children from all their property, and bequeath all their millions to a street cat rescue association.
Chapter 2: Types of Wills – How to Put Your Wishes in Writing?
Israeli law recognizes only 4 ways to create a regular will, plus one special tool for couples:
Holographic Will
צוואה בכתב יד (Tzava'a BiKtav Yad)
A will that the testator writes themselves. To be legally valid, it must meet three strict conditions: entirely in their own handwriting (no printing allowed!), bearing a date in their own handwriting, and signed by them. No lawyers or witnesses required.
⚠️ The Risk: Available and free, but very easy to challenge in court with claims of forgery or lack of mental clarity.
Witnessed Will
צוואה בעדים (Tzava'a B'Edim)
The workhorse of the inheritance world. This is the most common type of will. Usually printed, and the testator signs it in the presence of two witnesses (adults, of sound mind, and who do not benefit from the will in any way). The witnesses also sign and confirm that the testator signed of their own free will.
Will Before Authority
צוואה בפני רשות (Tzava'a Bifnei Rashut)
A will given orally or submitted in writing to an official state authority: a judge, the Registrar of Inheritance Affairs, a member of a religious court, or a notary (note: not a regular lawyer, but a certified notary). The official reads it to the testator, who confirms it is their will, and the official signs and certifies. Considered a will that is very difficult to invalidate.
Oral / Deathbed Will
צוואה בעל פה / "שכיב מרע" (Tzava'a B'Al Peh / Shchiv Mera)
The exception to the rule requiring writing. Intended for a person facing death (or who sees themselves as such due to objective circumstances). They may state their wishes before two witnesses, who must record a memorandum and deposit it immediately with the Registrar.
⚠️ The Catch: If the testator survives and recovers, this will expires and is automatically voided after one month.
Mutual Will
צוואה הדדית (Tzava'a Hadadit)
A romantic yet binding legal agreement between spouses. Each bequeaths everything to the other (or relies on the other's will). The advantage: provides enormous security to the surviving spouse. The disadvantage: the law severely limits the surviving spouse's ability to change the will after the first spouse's death (they will usually be required to return what they inherited to change the provisions).
Chapter 3: Rights, Gifts, and Special Restrictions in the Law
Gift in Contemplation of Death / "Section 8"
מתנה לאחר המוות / "סעיף 8" (Matana L'Achar HaMavet)
A critical concept you must know! Section 8 of the Inheritance Law states that any agreement a person makes during their lifetime, in which they promise to give property to someone only after their death – is null and void, unless done within a valid will.
📝 Example: If grandpa signed a note: "I promise the Mazda to Yossi after I die" – the note is legally worthless. If he wants to transfer the car after death, he must write it in a will.
Circles of Kinship / Parentelas
מעגלי קרבה / פרנטלות (Ma'agelei Kirva / Parentelot)
The system by which the law distributes the inheritance when there is no will, according to blood groups:
First Circle: The deceased's children and their descendants (grandchildren, great-grandchildren).
Second Circle: The deceased's parents and their descendants (siblings, nieces/nephews).
Third Circle: The deceased's grandparents and their descendants (uncles/aunts, cousins).
The law moves from circle to circle: if there is someone in the first circle, the subsequent circles receive nothing.
Inheritance by Representation
יורש תחת יורש / ירושה בייצוג (Yoresh Tachat Yoresh)
What happens if the heir dies before the testator? The law states that the heir's children "step into their shoes" and represent them.
📝 Example: A father had two children. One of them died leaving two grandchildren. When the father (grandfather) dies without a will, half goes to the living child, and the other half is divided between the two grandchildren of the deceased child.
Disqualification from Inheriting
פסלות לרשת (Psilut LaReshet)
A rare and extreme situation where a person loses their legal right to inherit, even if they are the only child or named in the will. This only occurs in severe cases defined by law: someone convicted of murder (or attempted murder) of the testator, or someone convicted of forging, destroying, or concealing the testator's will.
Chapter 4: Bureaucracy and Legal Proceedings (On the Way to the Money)
Registrar of Inheritance Affairs
הרשם לענייני ירושה (HaRasham L'Inyanei Yerusha)
The governmental body in the Ministry of Justice responsible for managing the inheritance world in Israel. Applications for orders are submitted to them, wills are deposited with them, and they filter applications and verify everything is in order before the money is released.
Succession Order
צו ירושה (Tzav Yerusha)
The official document issued by the Registrar (or religious court) when there is no will. The order does not physically distribute the money, but legally declares who the legal heirs are and what exact percentage each receives from the estate (for example: wife 50%, child A 25%, child B 25%). Without this order, banks and the Land Registry will not allow access to the assets.
Probate Order
צו קיום צוואה (Tzav Kiyum Tzava'a)
The official document issued by the Registrar when there is a will. The order gives the will the force of a binding court judgment. Only after receiving the order can an heir go to the bank or Land Registry and transfer the assets to their name according to the will's instructions.
Will Contest
התנגדות לקיום צוואה (Hitnagdut L'Kiyum Tzava'a)
An explosive legal proceeding in which a person (usually a disinherited family member) files a request to invalidate the will before it takes effect. Common grounds: the testator was not cognitively competent, "undue influence" was exerted on them, someone who benefits from the will was involved in its preparation (grounds for automatic disqualification in Israel), or the will is forged.
Estate Administrator / Executor
מנהל עיזבון (Menahel Izavon)
A person or entity (usually a lawyer, accountant, or agreed-upon family member) appointed by the court to "put things in order." Their role is to collect all the deceased's assets, pay debts to creditors and taxes, and distribute the remainder to the heirs. Appointing an estate administrator is essential mainly when there are many debts, assets abroad, an active business, or heirs in serious conflict.
Will Deposit
הפקדת צוואה (Hafkadat Tzava'a)
A process in which the testator personally comes to the Registrar of Inheritance Affairs (involves a fee) and deposits a copy of their will in the state's vault. This ensures that after 120 (years), when they come to request a succession order, the system will "pop up" and alert that a will exists.
📝 Note: Only a holographic will or witnessed will can be deposited.