A Thought on Parshas B'haaloscha

"...shiv'iim ish..." "...seventy men..." (11:16) The Jewish nation has always enjoyed the offices of learned dayanim - elders and judges - who guide the people by ruling on their disputes and conflicts. The prototypical great court was made up of seventy one judges. This is implicit in our verse's instruction that Moshe take another seventy men from among the learned elders of the nation. In our parlance, this body of elders is known as the Sanhedrin. There is an entire tractate of mishna and Talmud bearing that title. Some of us know that the word is closely linked to the Greek words syn and hedron which means a council of persons sitting together in a circle. It is accurate to call our Great Court the Sanhedrin for in fact, they were seated together in a partial circle as they heard cases. Still, one wonders why our Sages settled on a Greek-based word instead of some Hebrew term for referring to this Great Court and its members. Some early sources (such as the MaHaRil of 14th Century Germany) have seen a notrikon of "sonaei hadras panim b'din" which means "those who are opposed to showing partiality while judging", which was a core value of those saintly judges. Thus, our Sages may have adopted this descriptive title since it had a literal as well as a deeper quasi-Hebrew or Aramaic connotation. Rabbeinu Avigdor offers different insights: He suggests that the first syllable (san) is a derivative of Sinai and the second two syllables (hadrin) is the verb form of hadar which means splendor. The judges of the Sanhedrin learned and knew the Torah that was given on Sinai, and they were always refining its splendor through bringing out its deepest lessons. They were "Sinai Hadrin" - those who beautified the Torah of Sinai. Rabbeinu Avigdor then adds that he also heard an interpretation that the first two syllables (sanae) come from the word sonae which means one who hates or is opposed to something. The second syllables (darin) is an Aramaic plural derivative of the Hebrew word doron which means gift. The Sanhedrin avoided taking gifts which might in any way bias their judgment in favor of one side. They were the Sonae HaDarin - the Bribe Haters. So, the term Sanhedrin was utilized because it had a recognizable overt meaning of "a seated council" as well as a descriptive deeper meaning which alluded to the high caliber and integrity of those who were worthy of joining its ranks. We have not yet merited in our times, alas, such a court. May it be reestablished in our day. Good Shabbos. D Fox