All Questions
Tagged with malchut-royalty halacha
31 questions
-1
votes
1
answer
96
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May the King execute by a method other than decapitation today?
Rambam says in Melakim uMilkhamot:
וְאֵין לַמֶּלֶךְ רְשׁוּת לַהֲרֹג אֶלָּא בְּסַיִף בִּלְבַד
The King may only execute by sword
What's the source for Rambam's codification? Does this hold today?
- 2,799
1
vote
0
answers
79
views
Golden tefillin for kings?
I heard in a shiur that Achav, as much as a רשע he was during his reign, actually was a very big תלמיד חכם in Torah knowledge and even wore golden tefilin all day long. Apparently all מלכי ישראל were ...
- 475
2
votes
3
answers
678
views
Is it permissible to have multiple kings at the same time
According to Halacha, is it permissible to have multiple kings govern over Israel at the same time? Like could you have different kings each governing but all accountable to say a greater king or ...
- 4,532
4
votes
1
answer
253
views
Royal convert, still royal?
What is the situation with royal converts, i.e., converts who come from royal blood or are of royal relatives? Are they still royal? Do we have to stand for them as with any royal, do we not have to ...
- 150
1
vote
0
answers
46
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Splitting of Power between Judges and Kings
In Dvarim 16, G-d orders the Judges to judge the nation. In the next chapter the concept of a Jewish King is introduced.
It seems like the Torah supports splitting of powers.
On the other hand,from ...
0
votes
0
answers
50
views
Which political system is the one most promoted/considered generally "correct"/optimal in the Torah & Jewish sources? [duplicate]
The Torah discusses kingship and G-d, blessed be He, and the problems that it could lead to. There is of course the infamous kritarchy (rule by Judges) and the results it produced. However, I've seen ...
- 1,062
5
votes
0
answers
100
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Bowing at the royal coat of arms
In British Magistrate and Crown Courts the royal coat of arms is located behind the bench where the magistrates or judge sit. It is etiquette for solicitors/barristers and anyone giving evidence to ...
- 219
2
votes
1
answer
111
views
What is the halachic source that allows the king of Israel to acquire a pilegesh through yichud alone?
In Mishneh Torah-The Laws of Kings 4:4 Rambam says:
(The king of Israel) may take wives and pilagshim from the entire territory of Eretz Yisrael. The term 'wives' implies women who were married with ...
- 2,646
3
votes
2
answers
217
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What is the basis in the Torah permitting a king to kill someone?
Rambam in the laws of kings 3:10 states
כל ההורג נפשות שלא בראיה ברורה. או בלא התראה. אפלו בעד אחד. או שונא שהרג בשגגה. יש למלך רשות להרגו ולתקן העולם כפי מה שהשעה צריכה. והורג רבים ביום אחד ותולה ...
- 15.3k
4
votes
1
answer
61
views
Does the King have to ask for forgiveness?
If the King of Israel sins against another Jew, (e.g cursing, speaking badly, etc.) is he obligated to ask for forgiveness?
- 1,775
4
votes
2
answers
424
views
When can the brother of a man who died childless do neither yibbum nor chalitzah?
I was under the impression that if a man dies childless and has a brother, then the brother must do either yibbum (marrying his wife) or chalitzah (rejecting the marriage) -- his choice, but he has to ...
- 57k
4
votes
0
answers
126
views
Can a King execute Kohen Gadol that he thinks is מורד במלכות?
While Kohen Gadol is a citizen, he belongs to a different "authority" that a King is obligated to respect (see Rambam Melachim 2, 5):
"אבל כהן גדול אינו בא לפני המלך אלא אם רצה ואינו עומד לפניו
...
- 28k
1
vote
0
answers
64
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If someone engaged in one of the activities that disqualify one from being King or High Priest, without pay, is he still disqualified?
In Mishneh Torah Laws of Kings and their Wars 1:6 it states (from Sefaria):
ואין מעמידין מלך ולא כהן גדול. לא קצב. ולא ספר. ולא בלן [א.] ולא ברסי. לא מפני שהן פסולין אלא הואיל ואמנותן נקלה העם ...
- 1,775
8
votes
2
answers
392
views
What is the status when there are two anointed kings at the same time?
The Rabbi's teach that one kingship does not overlap with another even a hairbreadth (Yoma 38b). I understand this to mean that there may be only 1 Jewish king ruling at a time, or in the case where ...
- 15.3k
6
votes
1
answer
139
views
halachic status of the Nasi in the talmud
I would like to understand the status of the Nasi in the times of the talmud. It seems that this was both an inherited position as well as something that could be lost/taken away and given to another ...
- 15.3k
0
votes
1
answer
209
views
Is there a Mitzvah to obey a king?
10 So Samuel spoke all the words of the Lord to the people who had
asked of him a king. 11 He said, “This will be the [d]procedure of the
king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and ...
- 4,383
6
votes
2
answers
142
views
May an evil king be removed?
If a Jewish king went evil (as many did), would a religious Jew be allowed to rebel against him to try to remove him from power?
Is there any condition where a king can be removed from power (coma/...
- 40.8k
2
votes
1
answer
310
views
Theoretically, in a perfect environment, what would happen if a king would commit a capital crime?
The Mishna (according to the Gemara) says that kings of the house of Yehuda (basically, the good kings) and all kings before King Yannai would be judged, and the Radvaz writes that (in theory), a king ...
- 40.8k
1
vote
1
answer
125
views
What powers and responsibilities do wives of Jewish kings have in relation to the public?
It is known that a Jewish king has to be male, as quoted by an answer to this question.
What halachik powers did the queen (i.e. wife of the king) have within the kingdom?
Also, what historical ...
- 1,358
7
votes
1
answer
105
views
Hakhel: Source for leader of generation replacing king
As this is (or would be) a hakhel year I was doing some reading up on Hakhel and came across the following statement in a chabad.org article:
If there is no king – as was the case in the hundreds ...
- 7,056
1
vote
1
answer
100
views
How are we kings' children and why does it matter?
The mishna, Shabas 14:4 (daf 111 amud 1), cites R. Shim'on as stating that "all Jews are children of kings" (and therefore can use a certain oil on their skin on Shabas).
In what sense is it the case ...
- 74k
0
votes
2
answers
311
views
Why does patrilineal descent determine who is royalty?
In the Jewish Virtual Library, I came across this:
For tribal affiliation, priestly status and royalty, patrilineal descent determines membership.
I'm specifically interested in the aspect of ...
- 616
14
votes
2
answers
612
views
Does one make a Bracha when seeing the Pope?
Is he considered either a king or a great non-Jewish scholar?
- 141
6
votes
1
answer
127
views
What "malchus" exists today in America?
The Gemara (Gittin 79b-80a) says that we need to write the date of the malchus (kindgom) of the place where a get (bill of divorce) was written, on the get, for שלום מלכות (so that we don't upset the ...
- 19.3k
16
votes
3
answers
687
views
Can the Jewish people have a king while in exile?
Assuming a time where appointing a Jewish king is possible, if a proper Jewish king was anointed would he continue to retain the status of king if the Jewish people were exiled from the land of Israel?...
user6641
7
votes
2
answers
493
views
Secret Ops, The President, and The Blessing On a King
One of the conditions to make the brocha on kings is that they have the power to kill you (see Radvaz 1:296 as well as the Orchot Chaim Brachos 49 that say that this brocha is recited on any monarch ...
- 15.7k
4
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Can one bow before a king? Can one bow to a statue of a king?
Can one bow before a king? Can one bow to a statue of a king?
For example, if one is visiting North Korea, may one bow to the statues as shown in this picture? Note that they are not fully ...
- 8,313
1
vote
1
answer
92
views
Ex post facto realization of having seen a living member of a royal family
If one happened to be in a place at a time when a member of a royal family walked by, should one make the Berachah that one says upon seeing a king?
Assume the royal person did, in fact, wield great ...
- 41.9k
8
votes
1
answer
306
views
How much of the sefer torah did the king read each day?
According to D'varim 17:18-20, a king was required to write for himself a sefer torah and read from it each day ( וְקָרָא בוֹ כָּל-יְמֵי חַיָּיו). This doesn't say he had to read the whole sefer each ...
- 57k
20
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Is a Jew allowed to be knighted? Problem with kneeling?
Is there any halachik problem with going through the knighting (or Damehood for women) process of kneeling etc?
The current ceremony does not contain many of the Christian or pagan overtones of the ...
user1520
9
votes
2
answers
236
views
Isolationism vs. Interventionism
Taking as vague definitions:
isolationism: the principle that states should mind their own affairs
interventionism: the principle that the state has a moral responsibility to intervene in the affairs ...
- 193