Is Avi - Sharon's Worst nightmare Come True?

(AP)

The downfall of "disengagement" has begun and all we have the arrogance (easily mistaken for stupidity) of the Government and the IDF to thank for it. Everything – everything – the "powers that be" are doing in favor of disengagement is backfiring and backfiring badly! They vastly underestimated the level of resistance they would face and the bravery of Israel’s youth.

Steven Spielberg himself couldn't direct the script any better. But if he did it would go something like this:

Let's hire the most gorgeous looking, well built, Hollywood actor we can find.



(Yes, that's Tom Cruise on the right.) Let's give him your good old-fashion typical Jewish Israeli name, say Avi. Perfect! Even American news reporters can pronounce it. Speaking of which let's be sure to invite lots of news cameras and reporters. Enter Israel youth protesters right. Order IDF troops – fully armed mind you – to violently clear away these youths who are only protesting against the senseless destruction of Jewish property. Now let's throw in a wildcard. Avi spent his childhood in New Jersey! Nice. The local news affiliates anywhere within a 300 mile radius of Passaic (including of course New York City – whose news coverage reaches tens of millions) will be sure to cover this story now aside from all the Israeli media of course. Well the US media was going to cover it anyway. Remember it stars a Hollywood actor look-a-like. But now they have a catchy headline.

"N.J. mom hails Israeli soldier's Gaza defiance" screamed the New York's daily news!

Well that's pretty good. But what else could we do to make sure it makes international headlines? Ahh, let's throw the book at Avi and give him a maximum harsh sentence. Ahh, yes! That ought to do it.

"N.J. - Born Israeli Soldier Gets Jail Time" ran the New York Times over – what's this? An Associated Press story? So it's hit the AP and Reuters newswires too. And according to Google the story and pictures have already appeared in thousands of papers around the globe.

"'I didn't come to Israel to beat up Jews,' he shouted during the confrontation between soldiers and pro-settler activists," ran BBC news. (Notice even the BBC only used the phrase "pro-settler activists" not the traditional "extremist settlers" they are so used to using... even the left wing press is not buying the Government’s propaganda.)


Now – remember those arrogant people we were talking about before. They deluded themselves into believing they made an example out of Avi. They raise their heads up high and say "There! Glad we solved that problem. Now no soldiers will disobey orders ever again!" Sadly, the State of Israel and the IDF never did have a clue when it came to public relations. They are seriously public relations-ly challenged. Well here's a hint: Everything that could go wrong for you – DID go wrong for you.

Meet the newest Israeli Hero – meet Israel's newest poster child.

(Reuters)

You will be seeing a lot more of Avi. Kumah has got it right: Oleh of the Decade: Corporal Avi Bieber.

After they stop (if they ever stop?) fooling themselves the IDF and Sharon will realize they are in deeper trouble than they ever imagined was possible. What's more? The United States will begin to distance themselves from this mess – President Bush has enough of his own messes to deal with. The only advice is stop digging the hole deeper before it's too late!

Indeed, it may already be too deep to climb out.

(AP)

To Reader Elisheva – Re: Sanhedrin comment.

GREETINGS:
I have read the material on The Sanhedrin, and have forwarded it to them for comment or response. From what I have learned, it seems that folks are projecting something negative onto the silence. Had there been a big problem, you would have seen an uproar. Still is no uproar. Also consider that you must obey them. Do try and think a little more on how you write about this issue. And thanks for taking it up to look at.

Thanks, in faith,
Elisheva

Elisheva,

Thanks for the comment. I suspect you are not a native English speaker. You may have misunderstood my post. You are correct. Yated – not me - is certainly projecting a negative opinion. And I agree – had there been a big problem you would have heard from Rav Elyashiv, shlita, and Rav Yosef, shlita. My question to the author of the Yated article was just that. Why haven’t we heard objections from ANY gedolim at all? The answer that used to be given – "don’t dignify it with a response" is not a valid answer. This is an important "front page" issue and silence will not work. As the Gemara states "Shtika Kehoda'a - silence implies consent." In truth I have written very little about this issue at all. I mostly cut-and-paste. I am following it very closely - from all sides - as it potentially has huge ramifications for Klal Yisreal and Eretz Yisrael. At the same time, Rabbi Yirmiyohu Kaganoff has raised some legitimate objections – even if these objections have not come from the gedolim themselves. (Personally I don’t feel any of those objections were earth shattering but) it would be strongly advisable for the Sanhedrin to address them in a timely manner – so thank you for sending it on to them and I would be very interested in hearing their response. And when you do receive a response from them please send me it. I will be glad to post it here.

Kol Tov, All the best,
Pinchas

So what do these Sanhedrin members look like?

This photo accompanied an Arutz-7 story which reported that some Sanhedrin members planned to visit Har Habayis together. They did not hold a meeting on the Temple as the Yated article erroneously claims. Indeed the Wakf does not even permit Tehillim to be uttered on the Temple Mount silently, let alone an official Sanhedrin meeting. Furthermore, even the group of 50 that came was not allowed to ascend together but only in groups of ten.

Faith-in-Nathan posted 38 pictures of the event. Take a look at the s'muchim and you tell me if it was proper for the author of the Yated article to declare: “Are they qualified to make any halachic decisions at all?”

I sincerely hope he was questioning the validity of the body as a whole and not the Torah scholarship of the individual members. More sinas chinum is not what Klal Yisrael needs today.

The Complete Yated Sanhedrin Article

Hat Tip: Thanks Soccer Dad for pointing it out and saving me some time from scanning it in.

Back Row Of The 'Beis published the complete article. Click here to read it.

Yated Ne’eman Finally Weighs In On Sanhedrin

Another landmark development in the Sanhedrin saga. Yated Ne’eman, a key charedi paper, has finally weighed in with their opinion. In what doesn’t seem like very much of a surprise to anyone they are clearly not fans of the Sanhedrin. Nevertheless, it was still a front page (below the fold) story – and a very lengthy piece by Rabbi Yirmiyohu Kaganoff. This indicates the charedi world finally felt there was a need to publicly address this issue. Previously they seemed to be taking the approach of "don’t dignify it with a response."

That said, the fascinating, well written piece, explores the Sanhedrin from a halachic and historical perspective. While Rabbi Kaganoff presents the opinion that a Sanhedrin can not be established until moshiach comes as correct, and that the Rambam’s ruling on reinstating semicha is not final, there are opinions on both sides of these issues. Not least of which is Rav Yosef Karo, who "in his commentary, the Beis Yosef (Choshen mishpat 295) he records as definitive halacha the Rambam's opinion that semicha can be renewed." Rav Yosef Karo was also part of the Mahari Beirav's attempt to reinstate the Sanhedrin in his time – an attempt that failed due to objections from other prominent halachic authorities, most notably the Mahralbach, as the article explains in detail.

Those objections are used as the first objection to today’s Sanhedrin.
Another objection was that even given that the Mahari Beirav position is the accepted opinion, the procedure used last October was unacceptable.
Another objection was that the members of today’s Sanhedrin are unqualified.
Another objection was that if it could be done the "gedolei Yisroel" would do it.

What remains to be seen however is whether or not Rav Elyashiv, shlita, or Rav Yosef, shlita will ever weigh in and raise objections... and another question that remains unanswered is why haven't any gedolim anywhere raised any formal objections in writing or otherwise, to the current developments? As we see from the fact that the Yated felt it was necessary to publish this article "don’t dignify it with a response" is not an acceptable position. This is a very serious issue and if there are halachic problems with it, it is incumbent upon the "gedolei Yisroel" to speak up and object just as the Mahralbach did.

I have some further thoughts on this subject that I'll b"n try to share in a later blog. I'll also try b"n to see if I could get the whole Yated article up – but as Yated.com is still under construction it is not a simple matter of linking or cut-and-pasting.

In the meantime here are the last few paragraphs of the article:

Based on what I have seen about this “Sanhedrin,” I pose the following questions to the reader:

Are the members of this “Sanhedrin” qualified to make decisions that affect Klal Yisroel? Are they qualified to make any halachic decisions at all? Is this not an attempt to replace the halachic decisions of gedolei Yisroel and the gedolei haposkim? Are these the people who should be determining Klal Yisroel’s agenda? Doesn’t this organization cheapen the kedusha that the word Sanhedrin implies? Isn’t this organization and insult to anyone with Torah sensitivities?

The gedolei Yisroel could organize a Sanhedrin today if they considered it halachically acceptable. Clearly they are of the opinion that the halachic foundation for such a move does not exist or, alternatively that Klal Yisroel will not benefit from its creation.

We should all daven with more kavanah when reciting the bracha Hoshiva shofteinu k’varishonah, “Return our judges like the ones we had originally,” as a result of T’ka b’shofar gadol licheiruseinu, “Blow the Great Shofar that will free us.”

My Boss Thinks I'm Crazy!

I just told my today boss today that I'm making Aliyah July 12 - it was really harder to do then I thought it would be. Here's the e-mail sent out (name of company modified):

Our dear friend and the earliest member of the team, Pinchas, will leave the team in order to move his residence to Israel. Why? I don't know. It beats hell out of me. Maybe he wants to join Israel Liberation Army. Maybe he wants to pick up more Israeli girls. Maybe he has a dream to become the prime minister of Israel. Maybe he was already a spy from Israel and completed his mission at U.S. (ok.. Sorry enough of joke.) Regardless, the team will miss this guy. I will setup a party for all of us to take him out. If any one would be interested in his responsibility at the team, please talk to Pinchas and let me know. Pinchas's last day at the team is 7/7/05.

I guess some people will never be able to understand what Aliyah is all about!

Oh, and about the "Israel Liberation Army" thing... my boss is Korean - so he doesn't know any better...

Want to advertise? Make a Kiddush!

So this past shabbos I co-sponsored a Kiddush in my shul in honor of my Aliyah (the type of "Aliyah" that you move to Israel that is. Of course they gave me Chameshei as well, but that's besides the point.)

Anyway if you want to get a message out make a Kiddush – then people notice! You can be telling people for years and they won't pay any attention – but throw in a little potato kugel and some chulent and bam! "Your making Aliyah? Really!?"

Well there was a mixed reaction – though largely positive. The gabbi announcing it said "When we said we needed another sponsor, we didn’t mean you had to go out and make Aliyah – but once you doing it already were certainly not going to stop you." A cute joke but based on the premise that Aliyah is the hardest thing in the world to do – and something unheard of among Western Jewry.

The most negative reaction I got was from one guy that actually came over and said –"Why would you want to make Aliyah? What's wrong with living here?" And other things that I won't reprint here. (Notably this guy is also a big talker during Kriyas HaTorah – fueling one of my theories. People that talk during layning don't understand they are listening to G-d's word and would never understand Aliyah either because they just are missing the point of Judaism!)

It's almost comical how people have started coming out of the woodworks to ret me a shidduch. Hello? Where have you been till now? (I tell them if she's not already living in Israel or making Aliyah this summer – it's not going to happen!)

Don't get me wrong. There was mostly positive feedback. "Excellent! That's the way to go!" "Wonderful! You’ll do great there!" "Very proud to hear it!" Many people actually said "Aliyah? Very Nice! We hope to also one day!" Just don't wait too long! In fact what I keep thinking of whenever I begin to second guess my decision and say why did I abruptly quit my job and jump on a plane... surely I could make Aliyah in my thirties...

I think of Aliyah Quote #25: Rav Zeira says: 'A land which Moshe and Aharon did not merit to enter - who knows if I wait any longer that I will have the privilege of entering it!' (Kesuvos 112a)

Rav Zeira couldn’t even wait a few short hours (certainly no longer than a day, or at worst what - a week?) for a ferry to return to the shore to take him over to the other side so he walked a tight rope instead because when it comes to getting home to the Holyland you just can’t wait.

“If not now? When?”

WorldNewsDaily: New 'Sanhedrin' plans rebuilding of Temple

From WorldNewsDaily:

New 'Sanhedrin' plans rebuilding of Temple
Israeli rabbinical body calls for architectural blueprint

The Israeli rabbinical council involved with re-establishing the Sanhedrin, is calling upon all groups involved in Temple Mount research to prepare detailed architectural plans for the reconstruction of the Jewish Holy Temple.

The Sanhedrin was a 71-man assembly of rabbis that convened adjacent to the Holy Temple before its destruction in 70 AD and outside Jerusalem until about 400 AD.

The move followed the election earlier this week of Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz as temporary president of a group aspiring to become Judaism's highest-ranking legal-religious tribunal.

However, although Steinsaltz's involvement with the endeavor adds important rabbinic legitimacy, other major halachic authorities, including Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, the leading haredi Ashkenazi spiritual leader, and Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, the premier Sephardi halachic opinion, have refused repeated requests to offer their support.

Nevertheless, the group will establish a forum of architects and engineers to begin plans for rebuilding the Temple – a move fraught with religious and political volatility.

The group, which calls itself the Sanhedrin, is calling on the Jewish people to contribute toward the acquisition of materials for the purpose of rebuilding the Temple – including the gathering and preparation of prefabricated, disassembled portions to be stored and ready for rapid assembly, "in the manner of King David."

Rabbi Hillel Weiss, spokesman for the burgeoning Sanhedrin, said in an official statement that because of "concerns that external pressure would be brought to bear upon individuals not to take part in the establishment of a Sanhedrin, the names of most participants have been withheld up to this point."

"The increasingly anti-Jewish decisions handed down by the Supreme Court prove the need for an alternative legal system based on Jewish sources," said Weiss. "More and more people, including Torah scholars, are beginning to understand this."

In addition to the election of Steinsaltz, the rabbis present also chose a seven-man committee, headed by him, to campaign for the acceptance of the idea of a Sanhedrin.

Those chosen include Rabbi Nachman Kahane, brother of murdered Jewish Defense League and Kach leader Rabbi Meir Kahane. Kahane is the rabbi of the Young Israel of Jerusalem's Old City and heads an organized study of Temple rituals and ceremonies, as well as cataloging all known kohanim (priests) in Israel.

Others on the committee are Rabbi Dov Levanoni, an 83-year-old Chabad-Lubavitch rabbi and expert on the Holy Temple; Yisrael Ariel, founder of the Temple Institute in Jerusalem; and Rabbi Yoel Shwartz, founder and rabbi of the "Nahal Haredi" Israeli Defense Forces unit specifically designed to enable the haredi public to join the IDF, and teacher at Yeshivat Dvar Yerushalayim who has authored about 200 books on a wide variety of subjects in Jewish law and theology.

Steinsaltz is best known for his translation and commentary on the Talmud, but he has also served as resident scholar at Princeton and Yale Universities. He heads a network of Israeli educational institutions called Mekor Chaim and outreach programs in the U.S., the former Soviet Union, Great Britain and Australia. He is also a past recipient of the Israel Prize.

The Sanhedrin was reestablished last October in Tiberias, the place of its last meeting 1,600 years ago. Since then, it has met in Jerusalem on a monthly basis.

Forward: Plan To Revive Biblical Sanhedrin Receives Boost

From Forward:

Plan To Revive Biblical Sanhedrin Receives Boost
By Steven I. Weiss
June 10, 2005

By STEVEN I. WEISS
A nascent effort to re-establish the ancient rabbinical body of the Sanhedrin received a significant boost Monday when world-renowned scholar Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz agreed to serve as the body’s president.

The original Sanhedrin, the supreme legislative body in ancient Israel, comprised 71 leading scholars who issued rulings on a wide array of ritual and policy matters. Its members claimed to have received ordination from an unbroken chain of religious authorities dating back to Moses.

The institution is a highly charged symbol of biblical Jewish sovereignty, and its restoration has been controversial for decades, carrying an explicit challenge to the secular basis of the modern Israeli state. Some groups associated with the Sanhedrin restoration project have met in recent months to discuss the additional goal of restoring a Jewish monarchy and the building of a Third Jewish Temple on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

The new body was first convened this past October in Tiberias. But until now, its members reportedly have kept a low profile for fear of being criticized by segments of the Orthodox community that opposed the effort to reconstitute the Sanhedrin.

Steinsaltz, a Lubavitch Hasid known for his Talmud translation and for penning dozens of books aimed at wide Jewish audiences, was traveling in Moscow and could not be reached for comment. He was one of several big-name rabbis tapped Monday to serve as "representatives" of the Sanhedrin. According to Arutz Sheva, the right-wing Israeli news agency that first reported on the election, those rabbis include Yoel Schwartz, who helped found the Israeli army unit Nachal Haredi — which attracts the most devoutly Orthodox settlers — and Rabbi Nachman Kahane, brother of the late rabbi Meir Kahane, who advocated the forced expulsion of Arabs from Israel and the territories.

In March, the new body issued a ruling against the government’s disengagement plan, saying that it "is in direct contradiction to the Torah of Israel, and is null and void." It asserted that "future governments of Israel will have to re-conquer the areas in question" and "any Jew — including a soldier or policeman — who supports the uprooting, whether directly or indirectly… transgresses a large number of Torah commandments."

The recently elected secretary of the new body, Rabbi Dov Stein, told the Forward that the process of re-establishing the Sanhedrin has taken 20 years. He said the current mix of rabbis has garnered the support of "a quarter of the traditional Jewish community living in Israel."

Stein said the new body hopes to "unify the religious parties" and become the primary governing power in Israel. The members are still debating whether it would be best to maintain a democratic system or re-establish a monarchy ruled by a scion of King David (for which they are currently vetting candidates).

In the meantime, Stein said, the Sanhedrin is focused mostly on increasing its influence, through enjoining other leading rabbis to sign off on it and by developing religious courts to serve Jews as well as non-Jews.
Speaking of Steinsaltz, Stein declared, "My personal view is that he is the biggest rabbi all over the world now, in spite of the fact that the supreme-Orthodox rabbis" would disagree with that assertion.

"He has several advantages that other rabbis do not," including his familiarity with "multiple languages" and "secular knowledge" — both requirements for a Sanhedrin leader laid out by medieval Jewish philosopher and legal authority Rabbi Moses Maimonides, Stein said. In addition to his religious credentials, Steinsaltz holds a mathematics degree from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

An Arutz Sheva article this week asserted that "due to concerns that external pressure would be brought to bear upon individuals not to take part in the establishment of a Sanhedrin, the names of most participants have been withheld up to this point, upon the request of the Sanhedrin’s spokesmen." However, the article made a statement regarding the addition of its seven elected leading members: "It was concluded that the Sanhedrin has become strong enough for its members to be able to withstand criticism."

Gauging the new body’s influence among the Israeli Orthodox is difficult. The Forward was unable to obtain comment from any Israeli Orthodox leaders. The constituencies of the member rabbis themselves — especially Steinsaltz — are sizable. But in the month since the new body was created, it has been more liable to draw snickers than praise.

Yaakov Katz, who has reported on the Sanhedrin project for the Jerusalem Post, told the Forward that generally the initiative has been dismissed as the efforts of "right-wing extremists." The election of Steinsaltz, he acknowledged, "gives the Sanhedrin some legitimacy" because "he’s known around the world, and he’s apolitical."

Katz noted that leading rabbis such as Ovadia Yosef, former Sephardic chief rabbi, and Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, the most respected ultra-Orthodox religious authority, have not endorsed the endeavor; but, Stein said, organizers take the fact that these rabbis have not discounted the effort to be proof of its legitimacy.

Katz said that the Sanhedrin’s political goals are unlikely to occur, as "the religious parties don’t want to be associated with extremism" and "the secular public is not interested." Even give support from the body’s most likely constituents — religious nationalists —the new Sanhedrin’s influence "would be marginal."

Orthodox leaders in America said they were mostly unaware of the Sanhedrin’s doings.

Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb, executive vice president of the Orthodox Union, told the Forward that "in general terms, I think that a Sanhedrin is a body that really has to reflect — I’m talking just in realpolitik terms, not religious terms — a broad spectrum of Orthodox Jews."

"From what I know, this does not," Weinreb said. He acknowledged that Steinsaltz’s involvement "puts it in a different picture," but said this development simply means that the new body is "something to find out more about."

JPost: Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz new head of 'Sanhedrin'

From: The Jerusalem Post:

Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz new head of 'Sanhedrin'
By Mati Wagner

Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz was elected the temporary president of a rabbinical body Monday that aspires to renew the Sanhedrin, Judaism's highest-ranking legal-religious tribunal.

The group of rabbis involved with reestablishing the Sanhedrin, a 71-man assembly of rabbis that convened adjacent to the Holy Temple before its destruction in 70 CE and outside Jerusalem until about 400 CE, also decided to take steps toward the rebuilding of the Holy Temple.

Historically, the Sanhedrin was the final arbiter on all halachic matters. Reestablishing the tribunal is aimed at ending religious in-fighting and facilitating unity.

However, although Steinsaltz's involvement with the endeavor adds important rabbinic and intellectual legitimacy, chances are slim that the reestablishing of the Sanhedrin will muster wide support.

All major halachic authorities, including Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, the leading haredi Ashkenazi spiritual leader, and Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, the premier Sephardi halachic opinion, have refused repeated requests to offer their support.

There is also a broad consensus, even among national religious rabbis such as Rabbi Avraham Shapira and Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu, that no steps should be made toward the building of a Third Temple.

In fact, those involved with reestablishing the Sanhedrin have feared ostracism by the religious community. Rabbi Hillel Weiss, spokesman for the burgeoning Sanhedrin, said in an official statement that because of "concerns that external pressure would be brought to bear upon individuals not to take part in the establishment of a Sanhedrin, the names of most participants have been withheld up to this point."

But Weiss is not phased by opposition. "The increasingly anti-Jewish decisions handed down by the Supreme Court prove the need for an alternative legal system based on Jewish sources," said Weiss. "More and more people, including Torah scholars, are beginning to understand this."

In addition to the election of Steinsaltz, the rabbis present also chose a seven-man committee, headed by him, to campaign for the acceptance of the idea of a Sanhedrin.

Those chosen include Rabbi Nachman Kahane, brother of murdered JDL and Kach leader rabbi Meir Kahane. Kahane is the rabbi of the Young Israel of Jerusalem's Old City and heads an organized study of Temple rituals and ceremonies, as well as cataloging all known kohanim (priests) in Israel.

Others on the committee are Rabbi Dov Levanoni, an 83-year-old Chabad-Lubavitch rabbi and expert on the Holy Temple; Yisrael Ariel, founder of the Temple Institute in Jerusalem; and Rabbi Yoel Shwartz, founder and rabbi of the "Nahal Haredi" IDF unit specifically designed to enable the haredi public to join the IDF, and teacher at Yeshivat Dvar Yerushalayim who has authored about 200 books on a wide variety of subjects in Jewish law and theology.

Nevertheless, the most famous and respected member of the endeavor is undoubtedly Steinsaltz. He is best known for his translation and commentary on the Talmud, but he has also served as resident scholar at Princeton and Yale Universities. He heads a network of Israeli educational institutions called Mekor Chaim and outreach programs in the US, the former Soviet Union, Great Britain and Australia. He is also a past recipient of the Israel Prize.

Latest Sanhedrin News: Steinsaltz Chosen To Lead

From Arutz-7:

Rabbi Adin Even-Israel Steinsaltz Elected to Head Sanhedrin
21:55 Jun 06, '05 / 28 Iyar 5765

As parades filled the streets of Jerusalem Monday - Jerusalem Day - the reestablished Sanhedrin convened in the city to elect a Nassi and representatives to lead it.

The Sanhedrin was reestablished last October in Tiberias, the place of its last meeting 1,600 years ago. Since then, it has met in Jerusalem on a monthly basis, various committees meeting more often to discuss issues ranging from the areas of the Temple Mount permitted to Jewish worshipper by Jewish law, to the establishment of courts of non-Jews who accept the Seven Laws of Noah and to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plan to uproot the Jewish communities of Gaza and northern Samaria.

Semicha - original rabbinic ordination - was successfully reintroduced when hundreds of Israel's rabbis agreed on the worthiness of a certain rabbi to serve on the Sanhedrin. This was also agreed upon by leading Sephardic and Ashkenazic spiritual leaders Rabbi Ovadia Yosef and Rabbi Shalom Elyashiv. This fulfilled the Jewish legal requirements as outlined by Maimonides.

The rabbi himself eventually backed down from serving as Nassi of the Sanhedrin due to pressure from a leading Hassidic rabbi, but not before granting semicha to Rabbi Tzvi Idan, who granted semicha to the 71 other members of the body and served as its temporary Nassi.

Since the current Sanhedrin's launch, it has been in a transitional stage as it gathered support and sought to rebuild the institution in accordance with Jewish law. A temporary Nassi was appointed, but the mandated period came to an end, so it was decided at the court's last meeting that as the Sanhedrin strengthens, it must become autonomous from the original founding committee and elect its own officials.

Due to concerns regarding external pressure upon individuals not to take part in the establishment of the institution of a Sanhedrin, the names of most participants have been withheld up to this point, upon the request of the Sanhedrin's spokesmen.

The court of 71 rabbis has now decided to select of a group of seven individuals within the Sanhedrin to represent the institution in dealings with the public and with Gedolei Yisrael - recognized spiritual leaders of Israel.

Arutz-7's Ezra HaLevi was at Monday's Sanhedrin meeting, where it was decided to release the names for purposes of transparency as well. It was concluded that the Sanhedrin has become strong enough for its members to be able to withstand criticism, particularly of the "what makes you think you are worthy of sitting on it?" nature. In that vein, it is hoped that the release of the seven names will encourage those who believe that their own rabbis or teachers have something to contribute to the endeavor, to get involved in the monumental task that still lays before the judicial body.

Monday, those present (a minimum quorum of 23 Sanhedrin members is necessary for a vote to take place) chose seven names from a list of nominees to represent the Sanhedrin to the Jewish world and to spiritual leaders.

Rabbi Adin Even-Israel (Steinsaltz) received the most votes of confidence in his ability to lead the Sanhedrin through the next stage of its development.

The six others who were chosen by the Sanhedrin were:
Rabbi Nachman Kahane - Rabbi of the Young Israel of Jerusalem's Old City and head of the Institute for Talmudic Commentaries, which is involved in the study of the Temple rituals and ceremonies, as well as cataloging of all known kohanim (priests) in Israel. He is the brother of murdered Knesset Member, Rabbi Meir Kahane.

Rabbi Yisrael Ariel - One of the paratroopers who took part in the 1967 liberation of the Temple Mount, a former Yeshiva head and founder of the Temple Institute in Jerusalem, which has produced many of the vessels to be used in the Third Temple.

Rabbi Yoel Shwartz - Founder and rabbi of the "Nachal Haredi" IDF unit specifically designed to enable the hareidi-religious public to join the IDF, a teacher at Yeshivat Dvar Yerushalayim and author of approximately 200 books on Jewish law and theology, including influential guides for gentiles seeking to serve G-d and observe the Seven Laws of Noah.

Rabbi Dov Stein - The secretary of the Sanhedrin since its inception, dealing with logistical aspects as well as interacting with recognized Torah scholars and inviting rabbis to join the body.

Rabbi Yehuda Edri - A prime initiator of the re-establishment of the Sanhedrin, an accomplished author and leader of the Movement for the Rebuilding of the Temple.

Rabbi Dov Levanoni - An elder Chabad-Lubavitch rabbi and expert on the Holy Temple.

Rabbi Steinsaltz was reluctant to accept the position of Nassi, saying there are much wiser and more capable people among the group and among the Jewish people. "The purpose of the Sanhedrin is to bring unity to the nation." Steinsaltz said, speaking about the unique nature of Jerusalem to bring the Jewish people together. He claimed that there must be someone less "controversial" than himself for the position.

"The fact that he is not chasing after the honor of the position is exactly what makes him the best one for the job," another Sanhedrin member told those present.

"We are not offering honor, though," said Rabbi Yisrael Ariel. "We are offering the ability to fulfill a mitzvah (Divine commandment) that for 2,000 years was unavailable."

Steinsaltz then said that the position of Nassi was not something that could simply be accepted on the spot, hinting that it was only fitting for the head of the Sanhedrin to shun the title repeatedly until coerced. "If someone is supposed to refuse three times when asked to be on the Sanhedrin, then how much more should he be reluctant to take the mantle of Nassi," Steinsaltz said.

Rabbi Steinsaltz is regarded as one of the world's leading scholars and rabbis. He holds a degree in mathematics from the Hebrew University in addition to his extensive Torah study. At the age of 23, he became Israel's youngest high school principal and went on to found the Israel Institute for Talmudic Publications. He has published to date 58 books on the Talmud, Jewish mysticism, religious thought, sociology, historical biography, and philosophy. These books have been translated into Russian, English, French, Portuguese, Swedish, Japanese, and Dutch. His commentary on Pirkei Avot, the Chapters of the Fathers, was translated into Chinese and published in 1996. Rabbi Steinsaltz is best known for his interpretation, commentaries, and translations of the Babylonian Talmud, a task which he began some 25 years ago.

In Israel, Rabbi Steinsaltz is the Dean of the Mekor Chaim of Jerusalem network of schools, which encompasses kindergarten through high school. In 1988, Rabbi Steinsaltz received the Israel Prize, the country's highest honor. Rabbi Steinsaltz is also very involved in the future of the Jews in the former Soviet Union, traveling there once a month and setting up various educational institution for Jews still living there.

Newsweek magazine said of the Nassi-elect: "Jewish lore is filled with tales of formidable rabbis. Probably none living today can compare in genius and influence to Adin Steinsaltz, whose extraordinary gifts as scholar, teacher, scientist, writer, mystic and social critic have attracted disciples from all factions of Israeli society."

Also present, though not seated around 71-seat semi-circular row of chairs was famed archaeologist Dr. Vendyl Jones, who is working with the Sanhedrin to establish a system of courts for non-Jews adhering to the Seven Laws of Noah, which are obligatory upon all of humanity. One of those laws is to establish courts of justice. A high court has been established by the Sanhedrin for such purposes and a subsidiary of that court will soon be established in the United States as well.

Among the many topics the Sanhedrin intends to address are the bridging of the divisions between various communities of Jewish exiles who have returned to Israel; the establishment of authentic techeilet, the biblical blue thread Jews are commanded to wear amongst the fringes attached to four-cornered garments; the definition of the measurement of the "ammah" (the biblical "cubit"); the determination of the exact point of human death, so as to deal with the Jewish ethics of euthanasia; and the issue of agunot - women whose husbands refuse to grant them a divorce.

Those currently sitting on the Sanhedrin stress that each one of them assumed their seats on condition that they be prepared to give them up to anyone greater in wisdom who joins. Those interested in becoming involved with the Sanhedrin should contact the Sanhedrin secretariat at: 02-566-1962 (972-2-566-1962 from outside Israel)