Minuy Hadayanim - Mimacharas (RCA 1973 Parshas Yisro)

In this shiur, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik explores the deeper meaning of minuy hadayanim (the appointment and role of judges), arguing that the Torah's concept of justice is not merely the mechanical application of law but the continuation of the spiritual transformation of Yom Kippur into everyday life. Building on the Gemara in Sanhedrin, he develops the idea that pesharah (judicially guided compromise) is not a second-best alternative to strict law but often the highest expression of Torah justice, because a true dayan seeks not only legal correctness but peace, reconciliation, and the restoration of human relationships. Drawing on halakhic analysis, personal recollections of his father and grandfather's batei din, and broader philosophical reflections, the Rav explains that the Jewish judge embodies both rigorous legal reasoning and profound existential sensitivity, teaching litigants when to pursue justice and when to relinquish absolute victory. He concludes that authentic Judaism prepares a person to embrace both the confidence of life's "morning" and the humility of its "evening," and that the dayan's ultimate mission is to guide people toward a form of mishpat tzedakah that reflects faith, compassion, and acceptance rather than mere legal triumph.