Justice Without a Judge: The Failing System in the Holy Land
- Honorable Rabbi Yosef Edery
- Jul 22
- 8 min read
By Yosef Edery
In the Torah, justice is not a faceless bureaucracy. It is personal. It is intimate.
It is a sacred meeting between two people—one who believes he was wronged, and one who believes he was right—standing before a judge appointed by G-d Himself, whose duty is to weigh truth, listen carefully, and deliver a fair ruling.
The Torah does not recognize justice as a transaction between corporations and automated systems. While it acknowledges the concept of a shaliach (messenger), even the best messenger cannot replace the obligation of a judge to hear a case firsthand.
Justice is meant to be human. Real. Felt. Not coldly typed out by a machine, nor handed down by a clerk who has no authority, understanding, or even concern for the details of a citizen’s life.
The Danger of Automation Without Judgment
In recent years, Israel has adopted deeply flawed automated systems to handle financial, legal, and governmental operations. While the intentions may be efficiency or cost-saving, these systems come with a heavy price: they remove the human soul from justice.
A painful example occurred on October 7th, when Israel’s over-reliance on automated defense systems failed catastrophically, costing the lives of many. No human judgment was present to override the system. No thinking mind to notice the signs. Lives were lost, families torn apart—all because no one was truly watching.
And the same principle applies in less dramatic but equally unjust daily situations.
Take for example the automated toll road system in Israel. Cameras scan license plates and automatically charge fees. But what happens when an off-duty police officer, paramedic, or even a citizen on a rescue mission uses a private car to respond to a crisis? The system charges them like any other. There is no human to say, “Wait. This was justified.”
Similarly, someone may mistakenly enter a toll road due to unclear signage or road designs that practically funnel drivers into paid routes without adequate warning. And yet the system charges them. Automatically. No trial. No explanation. No understanding.
And should the citizen protest? He is met not by a judge, but by a pre-written letter, or a call center agent who is legally and practically powerless. The message is simple: pay, or be punished.
When the System Becomes a Trap
There are credible claims that certain highways are built or routed in a way that confuses drivers intentionally—leading them to enter toll roads they never intended to. In a just country, this would be considered entrapment. But in the current system, it’s revenue.
And what happens if someone refuses to pay, or is simply unaware of the fine?
Israel’s enforcement agencies will often take drastic steps, such as:
Freezing the person’s bank account
Withholding money directly from their wages or personal savings
Blocking their ability to leave the country—even if they have dual citizenship
Issuing hidden orders without ever offering a chance to speak in court
And when a person tries to resolve these issues, he discovers the truth: there is no judge. Only a machine, or a clerk, or a letter in the mail.
The idea that a person could be stopped from traveling, lose access to his own money, or be branded a criminal without ever standing before a judge is not just undemocratic—it is un-Jewish.
In some cases, a citizen is told: “Pay now, and we’ll lift the travel ban.” But if he says, “I want to see a judge,” he is warned: “You’ll miss your flight.” What kind of justice is this?
False Safeguards: A Pig That Pretends to Be Kosher
The government claims there are “safeguards.” Automated warning letters. Phone calls. Online forms. But these are not safeguards—they are illusions. They give the appearance of justice, while denying its reality.
Like the pig in the Talmud, who sticks out his hooves and says “I’m kosher,” so too does this system wave fake protections while committing real injustice.
A Nation Without G-d Cannot Deliver True Justice
In a society without true yirat shamayim (fear of Heaven), systems lose their conscience. The Torah tells us that judges must be God-fearing, wise, and immune to bribery. But in today’s Israel, the justice system is becoming something else entirely: a business. One that profits from the suffering of its citizens, while avoiding accountability at all costs.
And yet, the people of Israel are waking up. Many realize that we are not building a state in line with the Torah, but rather copying the broken systems of the West.
Even President Trump—while not a Torah scholar—recognized this danger. He famously stated that Israel’s justice system is rigged, as he publicly defended Prime Minister Netanyahu against politically motivated prosecutions. His point was clear: a justice system that works against the people is not a justice system at all.
A Call for Change: Bring Back the Judge
The following changes must be made immediately if we wish to be a Jewish country—not just in name, but in soul:
No person should ever be blocked from travel without first standing before a judge. No exception.
As easy as it is to pay a fine, it should be just as easy to request a fair hearing.
All citizens must have the right to appear in person before a human judge, not just machines or powerless agents.
No government agency should have the power to freeze or take money without due process.
This is not just a legal issue—it is a Torah issue. It is a matter of national soul.
When justice becomes automated, profit-driven, and dehumanized, the Divine Presence departs. But when justice is restored to its rightful place—between people, before a righteous judge—then G-d returns to His throne in Zion.
As the Prophet Yeshayahu says:
"צִיּוֹן בְּמִשְׁפָּט תִּפָּדֶה" — "Zion shall be redeemed with justice."
Let us begin.
Part 2
Justice Without a Judge:
Why the Holy Land Needs the Sanhedrin
In the Torah, justice is not a faceless bureaucracy. It is personal. It is intimate. It is sacred. A holy encounter between two human beings—one who claims to be wronged and one who believes he is right—standing together before a G-d-fearing judge who listens, weighs, and rules with fairness.
The Torah never envisioned or gave endorsement a world where corporations and automated systems would be mistaken for a justice system.
When looking at automation one needs To understand the difference between a tool and a moral judge.
It allows for messengers, but never the replacement of justice with machinery. Yet in modern Israel, this very mistake is being made.
Automated Systems Cannot Judge a Human Soul
In recent years, Israeli government agencies have increasingly automated justice-related processes. Cameras issue fines. Algorithms freeze accounts. Systems deny citizens their freedom of movement without a single court hearing. The tragedy of October 7 made this painfully clear—over-reliance on automated systems cost innocent lives, as human intelligence and presence were absent when they were most needed.
Even day-to-day examples reflect this dysfunction. A driver may be charged by an automated toll system while racing to save a life in a private vehicle. A confused tourist or citizen may mistakenly enter a toll road due to misleading signs, only to receive a fine that no one will overturn.
And when one tries to appeal? They are met with robots, forms, and powerless clerks. The message is simple: "Pay or suffer."
There are “safeguards,” they claim—letters in the mail, unhelpful phone calls. But none of these offer a citizen their Torah-given right to stand before a judge. The letters do not invite to court; they threaten. The calls do not mediate; they demand. These processes are theater. They are, as Chazal say, “like the pig who sticks out his kosher-looking hooves” while remaining entirely non-kosher inside.
When Justice Serves Power, Not Truth
Today, Israel’s justice system serves itself. It enforces fines and freezes bank accounts without offering the citizen due process. It blocks travel for citizens with dual nationality, not for justice, but for coercion. Even a simple request to stand before a judge could mean missing one’s flight.
This is not Torah. This is not justice. This is power without accountability.
Why Hashem Commands Justice
Hashem did not give the command to establish courts of justice simply for law and order. The purpose is deeper.
Justice is meant to build bridges. It connects people. It repairs broken trust. It offers the possibility of peace between opposing sides. A society without proper courts is a society without a foundation.
This is why G-d made it one of the Seven Universal Laws of Noah—"להקים בתי דינים" (to establish courts of Torah justice)—a command not only for Israel, but for all nations. For Jews, it is not optional. For G-d-fearing people worldwide, it is a shared obligation.
Without a Sanhedrin, There Is No True Sovereignty
It must also be said: Israel cannot crown a king according to Jewish law without a Sanhedrin. That is the halacha.
The Sanhedrin is not a nice idea—it is the necessary body that defines legitimate Torah governance. As long as we refuse to build it, we delay the true redemption and deny ourselves the holy leadership structure Hashem demands.
The Danger of "Cultural Judaism"
There is great danger in the modern phenomenon of Jews who are proud to be Jewish culturally, but who avoid following Torah. This is what Eliyahu HaNavi rebuked in his time when he declared:
“עַד מָתַי אַתֶּם פֹּסְחִים עַל שְׁתֵּי הַסְּעִפִּים?”
"How long will you dance between two opinions?"
“If Hashem is G-d, follow Him. If Ba’al, then follow him!” (Melachim I 18:21)
There is no neutral ground. A Jewish state cannot be built on law disconnected from G-d. Justice disconnected from Torah is not justice—it is rebellion with legal disguise.
For All People: End Racism, Gatekeeping, and Corruption
True Torah justice means no racism, no abuse of power, no economic gatekeeping. Technology, education, and growth must be used to uplift all—not to create monopolies of power and privilege.
The Torah is for all who fear G-d. The Sanhedrin is not just for Jews—it is for humanity. Israel is meant to be a beacon, not a bureaucracy.
"כִּי מִצִּיּוֹן תֵּצֵא תּוֹרָה וּדְבַר ה' מִירוּשָׁלִָם"
“For out of Zion shall go forth Torah, and the word of Hashem from Jerusalem.” (Yeshayahu 2:3)
Call to Action: Join the Sanhedrin Initiative
We invite all righteous people—Jew and non-Jew, Israeli and international—to join the Sanhedrin Initiative. Support our mission to restore true Torah justice in Israel. Help us make Israel the shining example Hashem intended it to be. Learn more at Mnglobal.org
Justice is not a luxury. It is the root of redemption.
📖 Torah Sources:
1. Devarim 16:18
"שֹׁפְטִים וְשֹׁטְרִים תִּתֵּן לְךָ בְּכָל שְׁעָרֶיךָ... וְשָׁפְטוּ אֶת-הָעָם מִשְׁפַּט-צֶדֶק"
"Judges and officers you shall appoint in all your gates... and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment."
2. Yeshayahu 1:27
"צִיּוֹן בְּמִשְׁפָּט תִּפָּדֶה, וְשָׁבֶיהָ בִּצְדָקָה"
"Zion shall be redeemed with justice, and her returnees with righteousness."
3. Sanhedrin 56a – The Seven Noahide Laws
One of the universal seven laws of Noah written in the Torah for all mankind is Dinim – establishing courts of justice.
4. Melachim I 18:21 – Eliyahu HaNavi’s Rebuke
" If Hashem is the G-d, follow Him; but if Ba’al, then follow him."
Short-minded thinking, bureaucracy without soul, and systems that enrich the few while punishing the many—these are not signs of redemption. They are signs of delay.
Let us return to truth. Let us return to Torah. Let us build the Sanhedrin.
And let us finally see justice in Zion. AMEN!
Sanhedrin Initiative Advisor
Rabbi Yosef Edery
Golan Heights, Israel
WhatsApp: +972524971349
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