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

By Kimberly Murray


It was evident that enforcement of laws and legal systems existed. The authorized person, with an authority and power vested on them, already became instruments on enforcement of various policies and rulings. Even in modern age, these are still applied in every legal decision that they are going to make.

The greatest house of law was first known to be composed of a group of wise men who would gather together in a holy hill. This was known as the Jewish bet din or sometimes spelled out as beth din. It was known to be the supreme and highest authority in both religious and civil matters not just in the holy capital city but in a nation as a whole.

During the old times, there was a convoluted series of courts. They have three known types. The first two are the Sanhedrin and Sanhedrin Ketana. There is no specific name for the third one but this article provides a description of it.

Sanhedrin is known as the highest form of court. As written earlier, it was composed of a large group of wise men called the sage who had meetings on a holy mount. The seventy one wise men took over the court until a religious leader and prophet wooed them to join him in governing the whole nation. Thus, he became their leader who is authorized to make a final judgment on specific legal matters. As years went by, a nasi was appointed to replace him and acted as a leader of a group.

Sanhedrin Katana consisted of twenty three judges. These judges would gather in some of biggest cities to discuss on important legal matters and issues. Just like the most supreme court, it had the authority to regulate rulings and impose penalties which are capital, corporal, and monetary in nature.

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.

Yes, they are many types of them. Regardless of this fact, this kind of judicial system is more on the religious practices of a population that it governs. These matters of litigations were better known for them as dine Torah. These are a basis for decision and judgment that have been applied in other communities. However, whatever decisions are made, these are also based on varying degrees of authority and a kind of jurisdiction they were having on that community.

This is still evident in the holy land because of the rabbi scholars who are taking good care of it. They do not just take a good care for it but also supervise, direct, and take control on every resolution that are being made. Questions on the laws and other issues are also tackled. Divorce is one classical example.

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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