[Avodah] Rav Moshe Feinstein on America

[Micha Berger via Avodah]

On Fri, Sep 01, 2017 at 11:52:04AM -0400, Zev Sero wrote:
: Velo yachli doesn't mean they didn't want to. On the contrary, it means
: they wanted to but couldn't. We know the reason from historical records.

The Rashi I already quoted says the reason was "lo hayu maspiqin". Which
would either mean:

1- They couldn't keep up with the caseload. A numerical insufficiency.
Which is hard to understand; if you can't fix the world, you shouldn't
try to fix what you can?

2- They felt they were insufficient in skill.

Or a third or fourth possibility.

I was suggesting the hypothesis that they found the task of enforcing
the religion beyond them, once there were so many who deserved death.
Part of that hypothesis is the observation that they did away with the
death penalty in a manner that also did away with corporal punishment.

And besides, the Romans did allow the death penalty. Yes, they had
to get permission for each execution individually, but is there any
indication that the occupational gov't wasn't liberal with giving them
out? Josephus mentions the Sanhedrin killing people (Antiquities 20:9,
the famous portion with the Yeishu interpolation). TA Burkil notes the
sign in Greek at the soreg, posted during Roman occupation, warning that
any entry closer to the BHMQ by nakhriim would be punisable by death.
He concludes from it that we were still putting people to death then.
R/Dr Lawrence Schiffman asserts that at least the non-rabbinic "Sanhedrin"
which makes its appearance in the Xian mythos did. But having only
read his popularizations, I don't know his argument. However, in one
place he describes this non-Pharaseic "Sanhedrin" as "a rump body of
collaborating priests", so it is possible they had a much easier time
getting permission to execute someone than they did.

But perhaps not. This need for permission isn't enough to prove Rashi
wrong.

:-)BBii!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             Rescue me from the desire to win every
micha at aishdas.org        argument and to always be right.
http://www.aishdas.org              - Rav Nassan of Breslav
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