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Why did Moshe Rabbeinu need Yisro's advice on appointing judges when every society already had hierarchical court systems? The shiur explores Yisro's fundamental insight: absolute truth (Moshe's infallibility) isn't sufficient if it creates *navel tivo*—a system people can't live with. Justice must serve human reality, making even relative truth—rulings based on practical halachic principles rather than heavenly certainty—into absolute truth for this world.
Rabbi Zweig addresses several fundamental difficulties in Parshas Yisro regarding Yisro's suggestion to establish a hierarchical judicial system. First, every civilized society throughout history has had multiple judges—Egypt certainly didn't rely on one person. So what exactly was Yisro's innovation that Moshe Rabbeinu hadn't already considered? Second, while Yisro receives tremendous credit (even having a letter added to his name), Moshe later criticizes Klal Yisroel in Devarim for accepting this very advice. Third, why does Yisro presume to tell Moshe Rabbeinu the qualifications of judges (*anshei chayil*, *yirei Elokim*, *sonei botza*)—surely Moshe knew what constitutes a proper judge? The shiur examines a perplexing Rashi (רש"י): Yisro tells Moshe to ask Hashem (ה׳), and Rashi explains that if Hashem commands according to Yisro's suggestion, Moshe will survive; but if Hashem doesn't command this way, Moshe won't survive. This seems to suggest that Hashem might give Moshe bad advice! Yisro doesn't even entertain the possibility he might be wrong—he's certain his approach is necessary for survival, so why tell Moshe to consult Hashem at all?
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Parshas Yisro - Appointment of Judges
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