משפט המלך שבדרשת הר"ן : הגות, הלכה ופולמוס

The political philosophy of Rabbi Nissim of Gerona is considered by many to be bold and innovative. Within the framework of his sermons, he is said to recognize a secular, 'political' legal system, headed by the king, alongside a religious, halakhic system of law governed by the judiciary. This article offers a reevaluation of Nissim's political world-view. It proposes that the system which Nissim sketches in his sermon is an ideal model. It can be implemented neither in theological or philosophical terms, nor on the practical level. The autonomous, expansive legal realm of the king becomes a narrow framework that is subservient to the rulings of the judges. While based on a comparison between Nissim's sermons and other teachings, both philosophical and halakhic, this conclusion is bolstered by a new reading of the sermon as a response to the politico-christological philosophy developed in the polemical writings of Abner of Burgos.