Thank you!
I am having a hard time to understand the life of the small villages in those days..who came in on Mon and Thursdays? Who didn't and why/why not? Beis Din? Krias Hatora? Business? If one didn't come in Mon & Thu does it mean they weren't particular on Krias Hatora/Beis din? Or did they have the means in their village? Could it be some villages could read the Torah but not the Megilla? Even if they came for the Beis din, who came just the people in the dispute or the whole village? Is that enough to think they would come EVERY Mon and Thursday? How many disputes could there be?
Is there a Sefer you can recommend which describes the life of the villages, that can elucidate all the points above?
Thanks Again
Daniel
Presumably the villagers came into the larger towns for Keri'as ha'Torah. Keri'as ha'Torah was established on Mondays and Thursdays, as described in Bava Kama 82a and Tosfos there. Since the people came into the cities for Keri'as ha'Torah on those days, it was also established that Beis Din convene on those days, so that whoever needed could avail themselves of the services of Beis Din when they came to hear Keri'as ha'Torah. (The convening of Beis Din was done whether or not disputes came before them -- the three Dayanim merely sat together in the same Beis Midrash on those two days, and if there were any disputes that needed to be settled, then they were available to settle them.)
If one did not go into the city to hear Keri'as ha'Torah, then that is comparable to one who does not go to Shul today to hear Keri'as ha'Torah.
We do not know of any Sefer that describes the life of the villages of ancient times.
D. Zupnik, Y. Shaw