Sanhedrin

Let’s explore the Jewish court system, from the ancient Sanhedrin to modern-day rabbinical courts.

The Torah gives the Sages the power to enact new laws and observances. We look at the "rabbinical holidays" of Chanukah and Purim.

A few months after its creation, Napoleon's "Sanhedrin" (rabbinical supreme court) was dissolved. The Sanhedrin was created to approve certain religious regulations requested by the French "Assembly of Notables." The regulations were designed to blur the ...

Since Biblical times the months and years of the Jewish calendar have been established by the cycles of the moon and the sun. Torah law prescribes that the months follow closely the course of the moon, from its birth each month to the next New Moon.

The miracle of Jewish history is that we have been able to survive as one nation for millennia. Despite being scattered throughout the world, immersed in different cultures, and speaking different languages, Jews everywhere read the same Torah and celebra...

Did the Sanhedrin ever imagine that centuries later there would be observant Jews standing here in the same spot, continuing to live by their calendar? Did they realize that the rulings that they last issued would ensure the continuity of Judaism?

Education reigns supreme in Judaism; and in tandem with the debating and ruling on Torah law, teaching is also the role of the Sanhedrin, the Supreme Court, even in the Messianic Era when divine wisdom will be our primary pursuit.