The Jewish Legal System
- Business Law
- Criminal Law
- Laws of Damages
- Marriage Laws
- The Jewish King
- The Sanhedrin and the Rabbis
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Following a Majority
Doesn’t Ex. 23:2 say that one SHOULDN’T follow a majority? The plain interpretation of Ex.23:2 is that one shoudn’t follow a majority to do evil or to pervert (le-hatos) the law. The Talmud’s explanation of the verse (Sanhedrin 2a) is…
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The Jewish Attitude toward Slavery
What is the Jewish attitude toward slavery? Slavery was a standard practice throughout the world until relatively modern times. The Torah forbids us to treat a fellow-Jew as a slave, even if he has come down in the world and…
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A Slave Refusing to Go Free
Can a slave refuse to go free? When the Jubilee year comes, or his owner dies, the slave no longer belongs to anyone (Mishneh Torah, Hilchos Avadim 3:7); thus he automatically goes free, even if he doesn’t want to. But…
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Repaying Loans
How do we know that loans must be repaid? Interestingly, the very important mitzvah of returning borrowed money is not explicit in the Torah; but it is quite clearly stated elsewhere in the Bible and in the Mishnah. “A wicked…
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Dividing an Inheritance
How is an inheritance divided among sons and daughters? When there are sons, the daughters are supported by the estate, but they don’t get shares of it. The law of the first born applies only to males; the first born…
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Restrictions on the King
What restrictions are imposed on a Jewish King? The Talmud (Sanhedrin 21b), commenting on Deut. 17:16-17, tells us that a king can have up to 18 wives, and as many horses as he needs for his chariots and mounted troops,…
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Abarbanel
Who was Abarbanel? Rabbi Yitzchak Abarbanel was born in Lisbon, Portugal in 1437. As a young man he became minister of the Treasury to Alfonso, King of Portugal. On Alfonso’s death in 1481 he moved to Spain and was given…