Introducing The Jewish Bet Din, Its Types, And Historical Value

By Kimberly Murray


Even many centuries ago, a legal system already came into an existence. This administered various rulings of governance and punishments as well. They served as the foundation of every judicial decisions made, even until today.

A large group of wise men gathered at a hill beside the old biblical city. That marked the beginning of the Jewish Bet Din, a home where the law resides. It is said to be vested with an absolute command in matters that are civil and religious in nature. It had taken dominance in all communities and cities of the nation.

Way back many centuries ago, a complex nexus of courts existed. They came in three kinds. The names of the two are known. These are the Sanhedrin and its smaller version, Sanhedrin Ketana. The name of the third one, on the other hand, is not known but is briefly discussed in this article.

Sanhedrin is the highest and most supreme of the three. This was originally founded by seventy wise men who would met at a holy mount. A day came when a prophet asked them to be with him on a mission of governance of the nation. That made the court came back to him. He was appointed as a wisest man with a function of finalizing the relevant and formal decisions. As years passed by after his term, a nasi was appointed as a new leader that replaced him as the head.

The little version of Sanhedrin is the one next to the first type. Twenty judges are composing it. The largest cities have been the meeting place of these judges who would come from different courts. This was done to discuss on the important matters related to enforcement of rules and regulations and policies. Monetary and corporal penalties can be imposed. Just like the higher form, these courts can even impose death penalties, if ever there is a very grave violence.

Even small tribes or towns have courts. This was evident in areas with a population that is not more one hundred twenty. There were only three judges but you could have additional if the remaining number of them is an odd number. It is way far different from the two because in this kind of setting, a judge cannot force enforcement on death or capital punishment and corporal penalty. Only those that are monetary are allowed.

Regardless of its varied types, this legal system of judgment is basically focused on the religious living of the people under its sovereign power. Such matter is known as din Torah. This has been practiced in some communities where judgments are being made depending on a hierarchy of authority and jurisdiction as vested upon.

This system was not entirely abolished. Instead, it was under a care of knowledgeable rabbi scholars. Because they have the power to supervise and regulate it, they also have the power to make judicial decisions on different cases, answer questions about some provisions of a law, and address concerns. One example of these concerns is the problem on your marriage life or divorce.

Although they entail lots of curtailment, it is still regarded as a significant component of regulating not just religion but also the adjudication of specific areas of concern in relation to personal and marriage or family life. Furthermore, this is also a center for adjudication of any sorts of disputes. Their applicability is entirely dependent on an economic, political and social state of a particular community.




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