[net.religion.jewish] Reforming the Sanhedrin

robison@eosp1.UUCP (Tobias D. Robison) (05/22/84)

References:

It would be difficult to reform a meaningful Sanhedrin.  The critical
problem is whether a new Sanhedrin would represent all branches of
Judaism.  If all Orthodox groups are represented (there's still some
bitter arguments to decide exactly what that means), then the Sanhedrin
will not be affecting a large percentage of the world's Jews, who belong
to conservative and reform movements.  I believe that the authority of a
Sanhedrin which refuses to represent so many Jews might be open to question.

On the other hand, it is not easy to include these Jews in a Sanhedrin
either.  It is a basic tenet of Reform Judaism that each Jew may make, and
interpret halacha for himself. [An aside -- starting from this point, the
philosopher Rabbi Norbert Samuelson has attempted to prove that a person
can simultaneously claim to be both a Christian and a reform Jew.]
Conservative Jewry have vast differences with Orthodoxy and would be unlikely
to submit to a forum at which their views would not prevail; the Orthodox
Rabbinate is equally unlikely to submit to this confrontation if they cannot
win it.

In contrast, when the Sanhedrin was active previously, I doubt it ever faced
a situation where a million or so Jews formally refused to accept the yoke
of traditional Halacha.

					- Toby Robison (not Robinson!)
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