[Avodah] melucha

[David Riceman]

Me:
>> 
>> Are there other examples of "rosh" meaning subordinate? It's a surprising usage.

RZS:

> 
> Certainly in more recent usage it's not at all surprising; in every 
> Jewish community the Rosh Hakahal was the layman who did the work, not 
> the rav who guided him.

No.  The kehilla had the authority, not the rav.  The rav was an expert
on halacha and (in smaller kehillot) the town judge, but the kehilla voted
on policy, with each household having some share of the vote.

>  Ditto for the Resh Galuta, who (if he were a 
> yerei shamayim) would be expected to defer to the chachamim.

Again the Reish Galusa determined public policy, the hachamim determined halacha.

>   But at 
> any rate there can't be any doubt that R Akiva is referring to the 
> full-time administrators, because his whole point is that if they're to 
> do their job properly they can't be learning all day.

The claim that “da'as Torah” is derived from din melech is precisely the
claim that learning Torah all day does produce authoritative expertise in other fields.  Incidentally,
it also raises a question: why is there a melech at all, shouldn’t the leader of the Sanhedrin
be more qualified for his role?


David Riceman