Israelite9191
You should be reading
Nothing compared to what we have seen (particularly that monster Dachs just posted) but here it is....
If Jews are one thing, they are hard to govern. Even in their own land under their own king they will not bow and scrape to anyone but their g-d, HaShem. Whenever a king gets too haughty, they rise up in rebellion; whenever the rich get too rich, they rise up in rebellion; whenever the poor get too poor, they rise up in rebellion; whenever the interpretation of the Law becomes veers too far off centre, they rise up in rebellion. Because of this, the government of Israel has evolved to be complex, large, and unstable. Kings, prophets, kohanim, Nasis, poskim, rabbis, shoftim, Av Beit Dins, and numerous other all compete for the power of government in Israel, which while leading to instability, also leads to capability and accountability. One good thing about governing the Jews is that no matter what, a bad king can not rule for long.
Ever since the days when Yeshai ben Oved, the grandson of the beloved Rut the convert from Moab, was anointed by the last judge and first prophet Shmu’el as king of the united Twelve Tribes bringing an end to the Age of Judges, Israel has been a monarchy. The kings of the Jews are said to rule explicitly through divine appointment; should they commit sin grave enough to loose HaShem’s favour, then they are meant to loose the crown. Thus, even though the king reigns as the supreme earthly power over the Jews, he must still submit to the much higher temporal power of the one true king, HaShem, and those who represent His will on earth.
Though the prophets hold no official role within the governing halls of Jerusalem, they are essential in understanding how one governs the Jews. The prophets are, in fact, the complementary partners to the kings. Where the kings hold within their hands supreme temporal power, drawing from the secular and the mundane, the prophets hold with them the power of HaShem himself. For this reason the prophets throughout the Kingdom of Israel’s history have been successful in gathering large crowds of the dispossessed to them and leading their followers to the toppling of an apparently unworthy king and the establishment of a new dynasty with the anointing of a new king. Though the prophets are thus responsible for the instability that Israel suffers, they are also responsible for maintaining accountability of government to HaShem and His people and thus for maintaining the prosperity of the Golden Age.
More than anything, even more than they are hard to govern, the Jews are a people of faith, even in how they are governed. This has led to two classes of religious leaders, the rabbis and the kohanim, gaining great power in Jerusalem. On the one hand, the kohanim, the priests of the Temple, represent the established order, clinging to the old interpretations of their traditions and the old hierarchy of power. Meanwhile, the rabbis, literally “teachers” and leaders of both the great schools of learning and interpretation and the local congregations, represent the poor and the oppressed, and stand for change and progress. It is in their schools that new interpretations of the old traditions and scriptures are developed and it is from their ranks more often than not that the prophets emerge. Thus, the kohanim and rabbis form a polarity to one another, expressed not only in the sides they support in disputes but in the powers they are delegated, with the kohanim forming a large portion of the central government and the rabbis the vast majority of local government. However, both the kohanim and the rabbis remain dedicated in their support of HaShem and ever willing to remove a corrupt king.
Though the Age of Judges is long past, the shoftim (literally “judges” or “divine judges”
remain a strong force in governing the Jews. Over time they have evolved from the charismatic and prophetic leaders and preachers that defended the Israelites from Egyptians, Aramaeans, Karung, Phoenicians, Mittanians, Sea Peoples, and numerous others into effective legislatures and temporal rulers. Despite this transition, the definition of who is a shofet and who isn’t remains as lax as ever. Their numbers swell and shrink over the years ranging from a few dozen to a few hundred at any one time. It is this flexibility that has allowed the shoftim to produce from among their ranks some of the most effective and charismatic leaders the world has seen, with nearly all new dynasties coming from among their ranks.
While the king may rule supreme, he must always be wary of the Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin represents the religious authority (kohanim and rabbis) of the kingdom, advising the king, making rulings on cases based on halakha, and generally reminding the rest of the government of Israel’s theocratic nature. Led by the Nasi (usually the Kohen Gadol, the high priest of the Temple), the Sanhedrin and its members the poskim (and indeed most of Israel) take great pride in the level of autonomy from the king they maintain. Often enough, with the rising of a prophet, the Sanhedrin turns against the king and forms the central power in revolt. In this way the Sanhedrin maintains itself as being nearly on par to the power of the king himself.
Whereas the Sanhedrin represents the religious authority, the Knesset represents the secular authority. Often enough, the Sanhedrin and Knesset come into direct conflict with legislation passed by the Knesset being stuck down as halakhically illegal. However, the Sanhedrin and Knesset are fully capable of working together, the Knesset often falling quickly behind the Sanhedrin in following a prophet to the dethroning of an inappropriate king. Indeed, the Knesset almost always takes centre stage in rebuilding the government, with one of the more charismatic and effective shoftim emerging from among its ranks to establish a new dynasty. Thus, while all the other branches (excepting the king) contribute to the instability of Israel, the Knesset and its leader the Av Beit Din act as stabilising forces, replacing old dynasties with knew ones and maintaining the delicate clockwork of the kingdom.
On Governing the Jews
If Jews are one thing, they are hard to govern. Even in their own land under their own king they will not bow and scrape to anyone but their g-d, HaShem. Whenever a king gets too haughty, they rise up in rebellion; whenever the rich get too rich, they rise up in rebellion; whenever the poor get too poor, they rise up in rebellion; whenever the interpretation of the Law becomes veers too far off centre, they rise up in rebellion. Because of this, the government of Israel has evolved to be complex, large, and unstable. Kings, prophets, kohanim, Nasis, poskim, rabbis, shoftim, Av Beit Dins, and numerous other all compete for the power of government in Israel, which while leading to instability, also leads to capability and accountability. One good thing about governing the Jews is that no matter what, a bad king can not rule for long.
On the King of the Jews
Ever since the days when Yeshai ben Oved, the grandson of the beloved Rut the convert from Moab, was anointed by the last judge and first prophet Shmu’el as king of the united Twelve Tribes bringing an end to the Age of Judges, Israel has been a monarchy. The kings of the Jews are said to rule explicitly through divine appointment; should they commit sin grave enough to loose HaShem’s favour, then they are meant to loose the crown. Thus, even though the king reigns as the supreme earthly power over the Jews, he must still submit to the much higher temporal power of the one true king, HaShem, and those who represent His will on earth.
On the Prophets of HaShem
Though the prophets hold no official role within the governing halls of Jerusalem, they are essential in understanding how one governs the Jews. The prophets are, in fact, the complementary partners to the kings. Where the kings hold within their hands supreme temporal power, drawing from the secular and the mundane, the prophets hold with them the power of HaShem himself. For this reason the prophets throughout the Kingdom of Israel’s history have been successful in gathering large crowds of the dispossessed to them and leading their followers to the toppling of an apparently unworthy king and the establishment of a new dynasty with the anointing of a new king. Though the prophets are thus responsible for the instability that Israel suffers, they are also responsible for maintaining accountability of government to HaShem and His people and thus for maintaining the prosperity of the Golden Age.
On the Rabbis and the Kohanim
More than anything, even more than they are hard to govern, the Jews are a people of faith, even in how they are governed. This has led to two classes of religious leaders, the rabbis and the kohanim, gaining great power in Jerusalem. On the one hand, the kohanim, the priests of the Temple, represent the established order, clinging to the old interpretations of their traditions and the old hierarchy of power. Meanwhile, the rabbis, literally “teachers” and leaders of both the great schools of learning and interpretation and the local congregations, represent the poor and the oppressed, and stand for change and progress. It is in their schools that new interpretations of the old traditions and scriptures are developed and it is from their ranks more often than not that the prophets emerge. Thus, the kohanim and rabbis form a polarity to one another, expressed not only in the sides they support in disputes but in the powers they are delegated, with the kohanim forming a large portion of the central government and the rabbis the vast majority of local government. However, both the kohanim and the rabbis remain dedicated in their support of HaShem and ever willing to remove a corrupt king.
On the Shoftim
Though the Age of Judges is long past, the shoftim (literally “judges” or “divine judges”
remain a strong force in governing the Jews. Over time they have evolved from the charismatic and prophetic leaders and preachers that defended the Israelites from Egyptians, Aramaeans, Karung, Phoenicians, Mittanians, Sea Peoples, and numerous others into effective legislatures and temporal rulers. Despite this transition, the definition of who is a shofet and who isn’t remains as lax as ever. Their numbers swell and shrink over the years ranging from a few dozen to a few hundred at any one time. It is this flexibility that has allowed the shoftim to produce from among their ranks some of the most effective and charismatic leaders the world has seen, with nearly all new dynasties coming from among their ranks.On the Sanhedrin
While the king may rule supreme, he must always be wary of the Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin represents the religious authority (kohanim and rabbis) of the kingdom, advising the king, making rulings on cases based on halakha, and generally reminding the rest of the government of Israel’s theocratic nature. Led by the Nasi (usually the Kohen Gadol, the high priest of the Temple), the Sanhedrin and its members the poskim (and indeed most of Israel) take great pride in the level of autonomy from the king they maintain. Often enough, with the rising of a prophet, the Sanhedrin turns against the king and forms the central power in revolt. In this way the Sanhedrin maintains itself as being nearly on par to the power of the king himself.
On the Knesset
Whereas the Sanhedrin represents the religious authority, the Knesset represents the secular authority. Often enough, the Sanhedrin and Knesset come into direct conflict with legislation passed by the Knesset being stuck down as halakhically illegal. However, the Sanhedrin and Knesset are fully capable of working together, the Knesset often falling quickly behind the Sanhedrin in following a prophet to the dethroning of an inappropriate king. Indeed, the Knesset almost always takes centre stage in rebuilding the government, with one of the more charismatic and effective shoftim emerging from among its ranks to establish a new dynasty. Thus, while all the other branches (excepting the king) contribute to the instability of Israel, the Knesset and its leader the Av Beit Din act as stabilising forces, replacing old dynasties with knew ones and maintaining the delicate clockwork of the kingdom.
- Yosef ben Malachi of Eilat
