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Why was Yisro's judicial system revolutionary when court hierarchies existed everywhere? The shiur distinguishes between absolute truth (divine justice) and relative truth (Torah (תורה) justice adapted to worldly realities). Yisro's insight was that justice must serve its ultimate purpose - enabling harmonious society - even when this means accepting halachic determinations that differ from absolute truth.
This shiur examines the fundamental question of why Yisro's suggestion for establishing a judicial hierarchy was considered revolutionary when such systems existed in every civilized society. The analysis begins with apparent contradictions: Moshe Rabbeinu, who grew up in Egypt and surely knew about court systems, initially judged everyone personally, yet later accepted Yisro's advice. Furthermore, while the Torah (תורה) presents this as beneficial counsel, in Parshas Devarim Moshe criticizes the people for accepting it. The shiur introduces a profound distinction between two types of truth in Torah jurisprudence. Absolute truth represents divine justice as it exists in Heaven - what truly belongs to whom in God's eyes. Relative truth represents Torah justice as applied in this world, incorporating practical considerations like human limitations, documentation requirements, and societal needs. The speaker demonstrates this through the halachic principle of 'hamotzi mechavero alav hara'ayah' - when neither party can prove ownership, possession determines the ruling, even if absolute truth might dictate otherwise.
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Parshas Yisro 18:13-26
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