Adapted from a Shiur by Rav Daniel Dombroff The case of the overstuffed chair Several Yeshiva boys sat recently in their Yeshiva’s dorm room. One was on an old upholstered chair that another boy had rescued from the trash a couple of years earlier. The chair felt uncomfortable, so he rose, flipped it over, and began to fiddle with it, inadvertently breaking open the … [Read more...]
Mob Rules: Does the Torah Sanction Vigilante Justice? Part II
Adapted from a Shiur by Rav Yosef Greenwald Justice as Divine representation Bet Din is called in the Torah by the Divine name: “Elokim” (Shemot 22:7). A monetary Bet Din of three judges is G-dlike in that it brings justice to this world. A minor Sanhedrin of twenty-three carries the additional Divine mantle of the power over life and death. For this reason, Bet Din … [Read more...]
‘Order in the Court!’: Is There?
By: Dayan David Englander The Din Torah process in contemporary times It is not uncommon for people to question the Bet Din’s procedures, action, and motives, especially when they are first exposed to a Bet Din as a party to a case. The first step toward understanding how and why a Bet Din acts is to attempt to see things from the perspective of a neutral party. As … [Read more...]
Mob Rules: Does the Torah Sanction Vigilante Justice?
Adapted from a Shiur by Rav Yosef Greenwald Murder in the Park Victor Melo, 16, began his afternoon listening to music in the sprawling national park in the Brazilian capital, Brasilia. At some point a classmate of Victor’s, standing nearby, had her phone stolen. She thought Victor did it and called out for help. Her friends, assisted by onlookers from whom a pair of … [Read more...]
Hurricane Housing: When a Storm is the Norm
Halachic considerations of residences in risk prone areas By Rav Yitzhak Grossman In the wake of the recent Hurricane Florence, and reports of residents who remained at home and did not follow orders to evacuate, we explore in this article the halachic considerations of lifestyle choices and activities that carry an elevated risk of death. The 2016 Central Italy … [Read more...]