Musar for Numbers 35:24

An example of how the number "ten" is relevant in דינין is the composition of the collegium of judges that can adjudicate capital crimes. The total number of judges required is twenty three. This is arrived at in the following manner. The Torah writes in Numbers 35,24, and 25, ושפטו העדה … והצילו העדה. This means that there has to be an עדה, i.e. ten people who are capable of voting innocent, whereas there also has to be a מנין who are capable of voting guilty. Since the Torah demands a minimum majority of two judges in order to make a "guilty" verdict legal, we have to add another two judges to the twenty we have just mentioned. Since we must avoid a "hung jury," a third judge is added to provide us with an odd number as the total (No judge is allowed to abstain). We have seen that the number "ten" is significant then both as "ten" and as "twenty," i.e. the "ten" spelled as יוד that we mentioned previously.

An example of how the number "ten" is relevant in דינין is the composition of the collegium of judges that can adjudicate capital crimes. The total number of judges required is twenty three. This is arrived at in the following manner. The Torah writes in Numbers 35,24, and 25, ושפטו העדה … והצילו העדה. This means that there has to be an עדה, i.e. ten people who are capable of voting innocent, whereas there also has to be a מנין who are capable of voting guilty. Since the Torah demands a minimum majority of two judges in order to make a "guilty" verdict legal, we have to add another two judges to the twenty we have just mentioned. Since we must avoid a "hung jury," a third judge is added to provide us with an odd number as the total (No judge is allowed to abstain). We have seen that the number "ten" is significant then both as "ten" and as "twenty," i.e. the "ten" spelled as יוד that we mentioned previously.

Reuben, for instance, believed that from a strictly legal point of view Joseph deserved to be executed because he rebelled against the concept that Royalty was reserved for the house of David, i.e. the tribe of Yehudah. On the other hand, he considered the legislation in Numbers 35,24 and 25, according to which one must try and find every possible extenuating circumstance before subjecting the accused to the ultimate penalty. In actual fact, however, Joseph was not guilty at all, since he neither coveted Royalty for himself nor tried to deny Yehudah's claim to Royalty. Quite the contrary, he tried to advance Yehudah's cause so that the kingdom of David would come about sooner. We have explained earlier that there were three "crowns" to be acquired, the "crown" of Torah being primary. Since Joseph symbolized the "crown" of Torah, the other two "crowns" could be acquired only by means of Joseph paving the way for such a development. Joseph's being the antithesis of Esau enabled the Jewish people to develop, and in due course helped the other two "crowns" to become meaningful. Perhaps this is the reason why the Jewish people carried two arks with them during their trek through the desert to the land of Canaan. One ark contained the tablets with the Ten Commandments as well as the original Torah scroll, the other contained the remains of Joseph. The people paid Joseph a tremendous compliment by carrying both arks side by side, since this conveyed the idea that "this one (Joseph) observed what is recorded in the other one (Torah)." The ark was carried on the shoulders (בכתף ישאו, Numbers 7,9). Because of this little detail, the Midrash phrased the enthusiasm imputed to Reuben, had he been aware of the Torah's compliment to him, in the words: "He would have carried Joseph back to his father on his shoulders."

Reuben, for instance, believed that from a strictly legal point of view Joseph deserved to be executed because he rebelled against the concept that Royalty was reserved for the house of David, i.e. the tribe of Yehudah. On the other hand, he considered the legislation in Numbers 35,24 and 25, according to which one must try and find every possible extenuating circumstance before subjecting the accused to the ultimate penalty. In actual fact, however, Joseph was not guilty at all, since he neither coveted Royalty for himself nor tried to deny Yehudah's claim to Royalty. Quite the contrary, he tried to advance Yehudah's cause so that the kingdom of David would come about sooner. We have explained earlier that there were three "crowns" to be acquired, the "crown" of Torah being primary. Since Joseph symbolized the "crown" of Torah, the other two "crowns" could be acquired only by means of Joseph paving the way for such a development. Joseph's being the antithesis of Esau enabled the Jewish people to develop, and in due course helped the other two "crowns" to become meaningful. Perhaps this is the reason why the Jewish people carried two arks with them during their trek through the desert to the land of Canaan. One ark contained the tablets with the Ten Commandments as well as the original Torah scroll, the other contained the remains of Joseph. The people paid Joseph a tremendous compliment by carrying both arks side by side, since this conveyed the idea that "this one (Joseph) observed what is recorded in the other one (Torah)." The ark was carried on the shoulders (בכתף ישאו, Numbers 7,9). Because of this little detail, the Midrash phrased the enthusiasm imputed to Reuben, had he been aware of the Torah's compliment to him, in the words: "He would have carried Joseph back to his father on his shoulders."