Wills, Trusts & Estates

ʻIvrit uve-Aramit also deal with inheritance issues. The first, often abbreviated to
Mishneh Torah, was written by Maimonides and was very important in Jewish tradition.
All these sources agree that the firstborn son is entitled to a double portion of his
father's estate: Deuteronomy 21:17.
This means that, for example, if a father left five sons, the firstborn receives a third of
the estate and each of the other four receives a sixth. If he left nine sons, the firstborn
receives a fifth and each of the other eight receive a tenth. If the eldest surviving son is
not the firstborn son, he is not entitled to the double portion.
Philo of Alexandria and Josephus also comment on the Jewish laws of inheritance,
praising them above other law codes of their time. They also agreed that the firstborn
son must receive a double portion of his father's estate.
Christian Laws
The New Testament does not specifically mention anything about inheritance rights: the
only story even mentioning inheritance is that of the Prodigal Son, but that involved the
father voluntarily passing his estate to his two sons prior to his death; the younger son
receiving his inheritance (1/3; the older son would have received 2/3 under then existing
Jewish law) and squandering it.
The topic is generally not discussed among doctrinal statements of various
denominations or sects, leaving that to be a matter of secular concern.
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