When Every Judge Says Guilty

The Talmud teaches a startling law: if every judge on the Sanhedrin immediately finds the accused guilty, he is acquitted. Why should unanimous agreement prevent a conviction? We explore the explanations of the Yad Ramah, Maimonides, the Maharal, and a fascinating Jewish-Christian disputation—culminating in the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s powerful teaching that Torah punishment is meant not merely to penalize, but to uncover the hidden good within a person, bring atonement, and restore the soul.