The Talmudic principle Dina
demalkhouta the realm of law, has a unique feature: it is one of the few
undisputed principles, at least as long as one is limited to the Talmud itself.
In fact, it appears in the Talmud that in four places, so it is easy to get a
fairly complete picture of the fundamental contexts in which it operates.
However, if the principle is not discussed, its justification, it has been
understood in different ways. The differences appear which then have an importance
that is not only academic.
