If you look in the Jewish Bible, the word "tzedek" -- "justice" -- appears 120 times. Jews are obsessed with the concept of equality before the law! The requirements for a judge to be fair and not to take sides are constantly restated throughout the Bible.

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The Jewish Legal System

Usually the case is that the judge looks at a rich guy on trial and says to himself, "He's rich and influential. If I don't rule in his behalf, I'm in trouble."

That's totally forbidden in the Jewish law. That's not justice.

THE SANHEDRIN

Another example: 2,000 years ago, when the Jewish people governed their own state, it was not a pure monarchy or theocracy. It was a very sophisticated government system with checks and balances and division of powers. You had a king (the executive branch); you had a high priest [Cohen Gadol] (the religious branch); and you had the Sanhedrin (the judicial branch). There was no need for a legislative branch because all the law was in the Torah. The chief authority to interpret the law, the real power in the Jewish state, rested in the hands of the Sanhedrin -- the Jewish Supreme Court which was composed of 70 Judges.

One of the requirements for a member of the Sanhedrin was to be a parent. Why?

Because the Sanhedrin could rule on capital cases, and the Torah says that only someone who has children really understands the concept of mercy. Every human being is someone's child, and being a parent gives you that sensitivity. A Judge also had to possess an encyclopedic knowledge of everything, especially Torah. And finally, the Judge had to have incredible integrity and honesty beyond question. Besides those qualifications, the position was open to everyone, regardless of their status.

THE JEWISH CONCEPT OF A RULER

 Let’s look at Jewish equality in action. An excellent example is the institution of monarchy. Today we don't appreciate the power of a monarch, because royalty nowadays is more symbolic than actually powerful. But kings and queens of antiquity were incredibly powerful people. They were often viewed as gods or demi-gods. They were completely above the law. As despotic and alien as this concept seems to us, it was a reality in many parts of the world.

The concept of kingship in Judaism differs markedly from any idea of monarchy in antiquity. True, the Jewish king had privileges and powers, the Jewish king had privileges and powers, but more than anything, the position came with an awesome responsibility. The king represented the ideal Jew, and acted as the role model for the rest of the nation.  In Judaism, every person is supposed to write a Torah scroll.  Why?

Because if you write it, you'll remember it. The king was commanded to write a second Torah scroll, a small one, and wear it on his arm where ever he went.  Why?

The Torah states:

More than anyone else, the king has to know that there is a power above him, there is a King of Kings, a G-d whose laws everyone must obey. The king was not "above" the law. Rather, he was charged with exemplifying it.

An excellent real-life example of this system in action is the interaction of Hillel and Shammai. These two great rabbis of 2,000 years ago, constantly mentioned in the Talmud, argued opposing positions on many legal issues. Hillel was one of the poorest Jews, Shammai one of the richest. But you never hear Shammai saying to Hillel, "Ah, Hillel, who was your father? How much land does he own? Shut up or I'll have you killed!" When they disagree in the Talmud their arguments stand or fall based solely on the power of their reasoning. What a contrast with the rest of the world! Can you imagine what human history would be like if the ability to rule were based on integrity and competence as opposed to wealth and connections? Do we have any doubt that the world would be a very different place?

So we see that the concept of justice and equality before the law is very much a reality in Judaism.

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