{"id":78873,"date":"2020-08-16T16:35:31","date_gmt":"2020-08-16T13:35:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=78873"},"modified":"2020-08-16T16:35:31","modified_gmt":"2020-08-16T13:35:31","slug":"should-potentially-criminal-political-leaders-be-put-on-trial","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/should-potentially-criminal-political-leaders-be-put-on-trial\/","title":{"rendered":"Should Potentially Criminal Political Leaders Be Put On Trial?"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"tags":[],"acf":{"old_id":"78873","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":36277,"related_cahpter":"547","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"The Talmud says: it depends. A cautionary tale for us, today\r\n\r\n","content":"

One of the most basic principles of justice, equality before the law, is learned from the beginning of this chapter.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Talmud (Sanhedrin 18a) asks, how do we know that the High Priest, sitting at the pinnacle of the religious hierarchy, can be judged in a court of law? The answer given is the verse from Zephania 2:1, \u201cGather together, gather, O nation without shame.\u201d The connection seems thoroughly obscure. Resh Lakish illuminates it, explaining that the repetition of the word \u201cgather,\u201d to mean \u201cstraighten yourself out first before you straighten out others.\u201d (Rashi comments on this verse that the Hebrew word \u201ckoshesh,\u201d gather up, also has the connotation of straightening and making something even.)<\/span><\/p>\n

This inference builds on the Mishnah\u2019s statement that a High Priest may judge. For Resh Lakish it is inconceivable that someone should be able to judge, without also being subject to judgment. \u201cStraighten yourself out first!\u201d If you are unwilling to accept correction from the legal system, you are not qualified to mete out justice to others as part of that system.<\/span><\/p>\n

This principle of equality is obviously of huge significance to Jewish and Western Law. Those in charge of the administering justice must also be subject to its dictates.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, there is one major exception that the Talmud and Jewish Law makes to this principle. On the next page, the Talmud affirms that kings from the House of David, who respect the legal system, may serve as judges, and are also subject to judgment, and derives this from the same verse in Zephaniah 2:1. Kings of the House of Israel, on the other hand, do not judge, and are not subject to judgment by a court.\u00a0 Why not?<\/span><\/p>\n

Maimonides (Laws of Kings, 3:7) explains, \u201cthey hold the judges in contempt and so harm and damage will come from it.\u201d The Talmud explains this reticence by citing a story of how Yannai, a non-Davidic King, was summoned before a <\/span>bet din<\/span><\/i>, a court,<\/span> by Shimon Ben Shetach when one of Yannai\u2019s servants was accused of murder.<\/span><\/p>\n

Yannai intimidated the other judges, who would not stand up to him, and as a result, they died as a punishment from heaven. \u201cAt that moment, they said, a non-Davidic king should neither judge nor be judged.\u201d (Sanhedrin 19b.)<\/span><\/p>\n

The lesson is a challenging one. Absolute equality of all before the law is a compelling moral principle, that Shimon Ben Shetach was zealous to apply. Yet attempting to enforce it against a powerful ruler who holds the judges in contempt and will use his power to take them down, can cause such damage to the reputation and integrity of the legal system that it may be better not to try.<\/span><\/p>\n

We will know soon enough whether the decision to put the Prime Minister of Israel on trial was a courageous triumph of Resh Lakish\u2019s principle of equality before the law, or a foolish, self-inflicted wound to the legal system begot by ignoring the Talmud\u2019s cautionary tale.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":78877,"id":78877,"title":"zeph2-crime_Minister2","filename":"zeph2-crime_Minister2.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/zeph2-crime_Minister2.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/should-potentially-criminal-political-leaders-be-put-on-trial\/zeph2-crime_minister2\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"zeph2-crime_minister2","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":78873,"date":"2020-08-16 13:35:17","modified":"2020-08-16 13:35:27","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":960,"height":720,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/zeph2-crime_Minister2-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/zeph2-crime_Minister2-300x225.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":225,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/zeph2-crime_Minister2-768x576.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":576,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/zeph2-crime_Minister2.jpg","large-width":960,"large-height":720,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/zeph2-crime_Minister2.jpg","1536x1536-width":960,"1536x1536-height":720,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/zeph2-crime_Minister2.jpg","2048x2048-width":960,"2048x2048-height":720,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/zeph2-crime_Minister2.jpg","post_full_size-width":960,"post_full_size-height":720,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/zeph2-crime_Minister2-560x420.jpg","home_baner-width":560,"home_baner-height":420}},"embedded_video":"","video_duration":"","show_fb_comments":true,"credit_media":""},"tile":{"top_caption":"","main_caption":"Should Potentially Criminal Political Leaders Be Put On Trial?","main_caption_size":"1","sub_caption":"The Talmud says: it depends. 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