Daily Alert

Jewish Tort Law Remedies Not Based on Torah Law – An Approach Based on the Ran and the Rivash by Steven Friedell

This essay examines how two of the leading rabbis of fourteenth century Spain defined the roles of the rabbinic courts and the secular Jewish community in the governance of tort disputes that arose within the community. Recognizing the impracticalities of the Torah's legal system, the Ran developed a theory of Jewish self-government that gave much power to the secular Jewish leaders. His responses reveal that he applied this approach not just in criminal cases as some have suggested, but also in torts cases. He also limited the rabbinic court's power to punish even religious offenses. The Ran 's disciple, the Rivash, took a similar view, and recognized broad authority of the Jewish community to legislate without rabbinic oversight.
Share this

Table of Contents

Share this

Subscribe to Daily Alert

The Daily Alert – Israel news digest appears every Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday.

Related Items

Stay Informed, Always

Get the latest news, insights, and updates directly in your inbox—be the first to know!







Notifications

The Jerusalem Center
Israeli Embassy in London Was the Target of Foiled Iranian Terror Plot

The Israeli Embassy in London was the target of a terror plot by five Iranian nationals who were arrested by British police last weekend, according to people familiar with the matter. The five men were detained on Saturday on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act, in an operation led by the Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terror Command.

4:31pm
The Jerusalem Center
Biden’s Gaza Humanitarian Aid Pier Injured Far More US Service Members Than Previously Reported

Over 60 U.S. military personnel were injured and one killed during the construction and deployment of former President Joe Biden’s humanitarian aid pier off the coast of Gaza, indicating that the failed project was more dangerous than previously believed, according to a new report released by the Pentagon Inspector General on Tuesday.

4:30pm
The Jerusalem Center
Syrian Leader Says Country Has Held Indirect Talks with Israel

President Ahmed al-Shara of Syria said on Wednesday that Syria had held indirect talks with Israel to contain escalating tensions, days after Israeli jets struck the capital, Damascus, amid deepening sectarian violence inside the country.

4:29pm
The Jerusalem Center
Marco Rubio To Close State Department’s De Facto Palestinian Embassy

Secretary of State Marco Rubio will dissolve the State Department’s Office of Palestinian Affairs (OPA), a Biden-era creation that elevated relations with the Palestinian Authority. In the early hours of Hamas’s October 7 attack, the OPA called on Israel to stand down and forgo any retaliation.

4:27pm
The Jerusalem Center
Houthis say U.S. “Backed Down” and Israel Not Covered by Ceasefire

A senior Houthi official has rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim the Yemeni armed group “capitulated” when agreeing a ceasefire deal, saying the U.S. “backed down” instead.

4:21pm
The Jerusalem Center
Vice President Vance: Iran Can Have “Civil Nuclear Power” but No Weapon

Vice President JD Vance said at a conference in Washington on Wednesday that Iran can have a “civil nuclear program” but not a “nuclear weapons program,” offering yet another confusing signal about the Trump administration’s position on Iran’s nuclear capabilities as negotiations with the Islamic Republic are set to enter their fourth round.

4:16pm

Close