[Avodah] Democracy and the Beit Din

[rabbirichwolpoe at gmail.com]

Michael:
> Ein shaliah b'davar `averah dictates that if the dayanim or parnassim
> violate the Torah, that their non-Toraitic rulings or policies are not
> binding on anyone.

This certainly gives license for l'mashal BD X to retroactively reject
conversions of BD Y - if/when BD X deems BD Y's methods as inauthentic.


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Michael's post begs several questions

Suppose a community wants to DEFY the Torah and - as a result - the
Beth Din then imposes tyrannical methods to enforce the Torah - Who
wins? Who trumps?

[EG Think of Reform Judaism and the reaction against it]

Given Any BD that fails to follow Torah has gone beyond its mandate.
Just who is the arbiter that a given BD has failed to live up to Torah's
dictates? [As with the giyyur controversy above]

ZP
RRW
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