[Avodah] Kategor and Sanegor

[Lisa Liel]

On 9/28/2011 9:35 AM, Micha Berger wrote:
> On Wed, Sep 28, 2011 at 09:02:51AM -0500, Lisa Liel wrote:
>    
>> I see kategoras, but I can't find any source for sanegoros.  Are you
>> sure that's what the Greek original is?
>>      
> Synegoros is "ombudsman" in modern Greek, so I think that's somewhere
> along the right lines. Someone asked me a question this morning that
> intrigued me; I'm not claiming expertise in his givens.
>    
Ah.  It's synigoros.  Got it.  Thanks.
>> Anyway, I think you answered the question yourself.  We don't have
>> lawyers in beit din.  So the metaphor comes from the surrounding Greek
>> culture.
>>      
> That's bedavka my question... Since we don't have adversarial defenders
> in beis din, why are we speaking as though there are angels in those
> roles in beis din shel maalah? Wouldn't their absence in beis din shel
> matah imply that it's not the way one should view justice? Or IOW,
> what is different between the justice in beis din and the judgment in
> Shamayim that makes lawyers appropriate in the latter, and not the former?
>    
I think that adversarial defenders is the natural, default situation.  
The question would be, why don't we have them.  And I think anyone who 
has ever seen a legal show on TV can figure what the reason is.  The 
partisanship in such a system is incredible.  The lashon hara, motzi 
shem ra, rechilut, etc... it's just really counter-productive.  It turns 
"justice" into gamesmanship.  It remains okay as a metaphor, because 
there are opposite and opposing sides, but like most journalism, it's 
not good for the Jews.

Lisa