>Haaretz is reporting that Israeli Justice Minister Yaakov Neeman said he wants a return of biblical law in Israel. According to the news report, Neeman, speaking at a conference in Jerusalem on Jewish monetary laws, said: “Israel should regain the heritage of our Fathers, the primary and ultimate words of the Torah, which contain a complete solution to all the questions we deal with.”
According to Haaretz, “Neeman added that in a series of steps or stages, the biblical laws given by God through Moses could be reestablished as the law of the land in Israel.”
Read the news report in its entirety here.
This statement has been criticized by many in the opposition parties in Israel, because they believe Neeman is “trying to trade civil law that protects all citizens with a religious law that will favor only those who adhere to that particular religion.”
Personally, I believe that the re-imposition of ancient biblical laws in Israel is not a good idea. The reason for my disagreement with this idea is because many of these biblical laws reflect an agrarian and patriarchal society, a society that is much different from the society that exists in Israel today. Although many biblical laws dealing with moral issues are relevant even today, replacing the current civil law with religious laws can be very detrimental to the protection of all citizens in Israel, including those who are not religious.
Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary
Tags: Biblical Law, Yaakov Neeman 
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Dr. Claude Mariottini - Professor of Old Testament 
>From my understanding, even those Jews who believe in a restoration of Biblical *government* law believe it can only take place upon the certain conditions being met. The lowest threshold is a majority of Jews return to the land of Israel, you add more depending on who you ask: convening of a Sanhedrin (like that can be agreed upon), establishment of a Temple, return of the davidic Kings, etc.
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>Unfortunately Prof.Mariottini you've falled victim to one of Israel's most anti-Jewish newspapers. Prof. Neeman never said those things and made extensive correction the day after clarifying what he did say.The struggle is between those forces of the radical Left that want Israel to become a nation like all the nations and the rest who seek both a democratic state but also one that draws its inspiration from 3800 years of Jewish existence.The former pounce upon and distort any statement made by the Right ot the Religious in order to win propoganda points in the ongoing struggle to influence the majority of simple Jews struggling to exist.
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>Nate,The problem about returning to Biblical government is that Israel is divided politically, as Yoel's comment below demonstrates. Although many people want to return to ancient practices, the reality of modern life makes that idea almost impossible.Claude Mariottini
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>Yoel,Thank you for your comment. Your comment shows the problem most people who do not live in Israel face: trying to understand the political situation in that country and how politics affects the way one reads the news.Your comment also reflects the political reality we face in our country: the media may report one thing when the reality may be completely different from what is being reported. Or, the media may reports only one side of the issue, the side that reflects a liberal bias. And since people in the radical left most of the time are not religious, their reporting reflects that bias.Claude Mariottini
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>First of all it can cause mass flight of secular citizens. Israel will be lost as the state. Secondly it does not go well with idea of a democratic society and will cause world condemnation. very bad idea!
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>Ilona,I agree with every point you make in your comment. A return to biblical law will create a country that will almost destroy the democracy that exists in Israel today.Claude Mariottini
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>Yoel,I agree completely with your point that it seems to be one of those comments easily taken out of context and attacked. However, there are some serious issues about religious vs. secular control in Israel that need to be addressed. While the criticisms of these particular comments may be unwarranted, I have little doubt it's just one expression of a genuine debate and conversation that needs to be had. (I am not going simply off what I hear in the news media. I hear about many of the problems from my brother who is currently at Yeshiva in Jerusalem.)
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>Mr Mariottini,I agree with your post.I am not from the "left" (at least not for non-US standards) and I know the left in all of its variety of forms has its biases, but so does the right.Haaretz is not an anti-Jewish newspaper. It simply has different opinions than those Ben-Abraham supports.Finally: everybody is struggling to exist these days. All nations are equal and that does not imply renouncing to one's heritage at all
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