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The Torahportion for'rthis sabfiath includes
a passage
chapter of Deuteronomy) the history:
701‘
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v
‘\\'LH3R£fl?Y ,»w A
(‘15
the 17th
of the greatest importance for
From this: passage We learn
‘JeWi‘sh Law,“
"
that. eveivy
district had its own Igca'l judges who were cqmpeteni; to deal with: all rOutine matters, buy that all- bigger problems - problems of:
which the legal position was not difficulty
-A‘
wére
‘to
be
which rais’éd some
clear- of
i
épe'c-ial
réferred‘ 1:6 “the Leviticajl Priests, 5nd to:
at
the Judge Who shall be, invoffiqe
$195.11:
time"',,u
ire; some kind‘
of
"
supreme court which was to function. in Jerusalem»,
We
knm’v‘
that at‘a lat‘ér date such: a §upneme Count,
wax;
in=fact'
established, that it consiste'g of shventy-fon'é members; that it was 19d by a President, with thefititle of-fiLs}, that 'at on time 11-, bO-ré-
the Greek titi‘e Sgnhearin~ and "met the Temple. jut, Ibeybnd "that we
there'fieré times when,
,
criminal
5.11:
other: fiinies
isaw,~
ritual, (pertainly r
now
chamber of
very
‘Iit‘tfvle
new stones in,
about
117.,
‘Probabiy
concqrned itself entirely with
when it légiélatéd also
it, was; one.
Calendar by animuneing
mm
in'
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of its mnciions
New
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“and
anjd' I
in: matter-5391‘
'
to_‘f1x -tfh$‘6?eWiSh
possibly
y
~st11‘1 othé'i",
it was usedby the ‘Romansv as an instrufienfi, 0f colonial administration. with the 112' Priegt; a ai Romanl‘pfippét,“~sas President. we khbw vailso.‘ that time's, £015 exampleuundéii Eontius"13;ia~te.,f when
'
ceased
‘exist ai?ounQ 11.99.0533; 'Whén. organised Jewish life
to;
find that an attempt to regest'abgish‘i’f the 46th ‘C'ehturyén‘ded in ganuré‘.
Palestiné .
collapsed‘Q.‘
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in,
in,
,
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fi ‘
SQ,
handicapped,
e- about
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«a
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h
155007 years, Jewi sh
La-w.
has been seriously
It has‘VAhadM‘yexPonents of courses: individualrtRabbi’s and
Batey‘Din (DiStrrc$‘coufitsgw’ gut these'hadwauthogity only to iptérfipet the law, not *to promulgate new laws, And- the sob‘pé of interpretétziod15 strictly limited;
what
p.12].
-Jew1§h Law, for all theséwcenturiesg mas hot had
of law have had: a 1egislatui-e.
{2:13heir.s‘ygimmai
'
u
J.\.
Dr Fgeehof has, repeatedly pointed out, "it hope
on‘
Therefore,
ar's ‘
one foot. and cannoi;
“Walk. ‘In
Routine mattersncould be, «and were, dealt with, by interpretation, sbmetimesv leni'eritiy, more after; resti‘iétixfely, 'But major problems védul'd
With at all, for the supifiemeyeouiit referred to in our Sid-ay -' Judgevvjvhoushalihe in office at 'itha'lj. time"“a has not béen in exigbéficeé
not" "be dealt "thia-
1
It :is not stirprising, we. 9:11 'hxowrhow
rh‘ile'refbre‘,
out of
rdafié‘
that Jewish Law has marry .defi‘giehcies.
many of
ifisf
rules and regulati'dnia' are,
example in matters of marriage and divorCe and personajllsta'tus.)
ns
:éor
‘
‘
7 who admit these id‘e‘ffiéiénciea and-complgin abqut then}, but 'profest that nothing canW‘ne done about; them until.- thé.‘Sanhedrin is reestablished,
There
are;
Orthodox
1- 71~ijbe1ia11y
mindéd» Ortfiodox
JTe‘wg
what sounds ldgical,.and if it is-caryect,,then Progressive.Jud§ESma waé migtakén in anticipating, the establishment. of such, -a Sanhe‘di’ifi
by taking the law into 1%5‘owhzhands. But there are
itWO- obj’eéti'bns.
‘being established is very
remote...
First, the 1i‘keLi‘hood It, Wou'jid
‘Sanhedrin‘
involve all Igorta of difijia
entities, including the; rév‘i‘yg; of the ancient methOd altion “which
ofia
oft
has beehgin‘ abeyan‘ce for sommany denturiés.
Rabbinic It
“OI-din:
Would also
H
fig‘
1‘
4‘5 &
‘
‘
,
kihvolve‘ interminable. diéputes.'betvleén‘ different sect-gens: of'Jewry as‘fito ’Iv'vho
“
should sit Ohfsi‘léh‘~g“$upféiffi$'@0u1‘tg
it“
;1kely, therefore,
many generations‘
meantime Jewry should
to,
come,
And
111‘.
1’3
,
mourwif‘étmew
‘reéestabiishment of the Sanhédfin will no£ take piace 01" for,
t’hét; the‘r
intoiérable‘ that
the
if:
bev‘cohdemfied‘ to living. fih‘der a gyst em of
185)!"
‘whichwis 1?500 years but cf date, With all the absurditiesnand_hardships
Even if it were most countries: todayya‘éwisthx Law
which, it imposes;
deSir’ébi‘e, carifio’t
i‘t
hés'
to be rememfiered that
be enfbrced, and therefore», if
it is :not drastically oVerhafiled-3‘ 1.1; will simply be inaneaaingl-y ignored by the Jewish masgeé, and the resuiting conflict between the affigial
~
:
7
teaghing and' the actual prOve rate; to the survival of Judaism.
ppa'cygiqe ‘wii'l do
inéaléulabl’e harm, may even
‘Secpnalm; even‘if'azganhedrifi were éstabliéhed in the foresgaabie
; ‘
futufie, it is in the highégtvdegree:unlikeiy that it wbuld qvgrhaul‘Jewishl' Law anything'like as drastigally as thé feelimiés of modérn life demands It might Pérmifi‘i
’Profiably 1£ wduld bnly make fihe meet minor changes; {essential ‘
Servmeg
"01:1
fine-Sabbath; it might
Qn Israei Indepenflendé Say; it might
like A‘glmgh and
tlifizah,
by, mean's
pekrmi‘t
get rpund
'wedding‘suand fewiviti'ésvr
'éertain‘ Marriage problem’s,
of legal fictions;
might permit
artificial birth contra}; butfiflt would Vdo;.nothing more fuhdamefitalthat,
And why?
N91:
oniy
‘bec‘at‘lseK
the Rabbis Who would Serve on
Sanhedrinnivoulg, for thermost
begdi'awn from the
:‘most
'
‘t
{such
nan
a
reactiénary
sections of’Jewry, but because they 'would appréabh all prdblémé of-J‘ewi'sh
Lawsgn the basis .as-
the Word or
(it:
God.
‘ggggg1;nil_éjéqflfia:sriémg;m;
in a literal
eéénse and, therefore unalter’ab’ie.
The mime may» cqmé; indged‘ I am enlightened‘view of Scripture
the traditi'Ona-Jg‘flew of scripture
in.
Sui-e it;
wiil come, When: a make
oraer not to mince
'WOfifiéa: a {Liberai
7'
’
:i
view
of Scripture
~ -.-
will“
9‘41:-
‘
prevail throughogt Jewry;
A‘San'hedninA
convqked‘at7quch a time might indeed béigg Jewiéh Lafiwup to date
and Sciljve its problems, Sine} truly” progr'gssgv're‘ spirit"; But .thay‘ time iafaz'i ofif,~“afid‘ :ifieahWhil‘e genérations ovews will live and dia and, dgménd guidance §Ihi§humakés Sens? to them as citizens of the ‘
modern
wcr-lda,
The“.£gform Mévemén‘tj‘ phergforg; the, main“ by:
It acted S‘i’dra
does poi; really
0:113: 91‘
in
‘the‘
'l't‘hje,
vépinit
two principles,
‘sa‘fr
be-
in
fight Ito
act} result did;
id our
w“.v.‘i“j..'£'s'11,;“thesiietr‘séage
anything about
judge ivhonstzall 51‘
wgis:
a.
supreme
chum
7
it
Vs'pealgg‘
off-ice: atr‘that"time"'§1'énd
that passage” that the founders
and,
leggers
is: a
0;?
Progre‘SSiy'é Iudafijgm 1290; uporn, dzhemselfvesr‘fihe bufidez‘; .of aétin'g, fbii ‘as At‘h‘e judges“ who: mhose ‘V’éhéua‘rée; ‘fire‘pared t9.‘8é0§§t t‘tieif guidance,
anerih office in gggytimes,
Seéandly, they acted in thé knowledge
that'rthey véeré dealing with'an emergency»; Therevis arverse in: the,
149fitsa1mxw ich re ds¢
"it is time £05 the Lord to work, they have
taken by tihé holder of the ancient Rafibis as giving themsgutfioyity £0 make»qrastig‘change§in J ewiSh‘ Law. 1f$he~ continuancerof t‘he ‘i‘p‘rah as a. VlholeMasneizdangened through negKeé‘t‘ or disbbédfiahce «by a large section of the- comimityj;
(made :eid
In the =og
last.
ighi‘s
verse‘lwas-
flea-years Wé have witnessed
é
decline
in,
Jewiféh Observance
a scélé‘unfirééedented-in'the.wh¢1e'oveWish'history,
emergenéyr
the morain.of
‘c‘ommandméfifisr'i'
gais is gn_’
vt'o modifiy there Was; and the Befohfieps were inloreder that it may again command! rbhe respeéti and allegiance,
iff'év'el‘
the Jewiéh masses:
in: ‘shrb’rt, in‘ order:
that Jude-iém-‘mayusfirvix‘re.
Sahhedrin or no Sanhédriny‘JeWish conviction, ieWish lpyaity, Jewish practice, mugt be kept alive; and PnpgréssiVe Judaism, aloha among ali
“‘
‘
7
the ‘movemgn‘as ifi mddern Jewish history, has had the icoui'gge to: act? that spirit, toiiecbghisje that "13.15 time act in‘ the name of jtpé :Lord~.;"'
