EXOD783 The very first reference to the concept of following a majority opinion in deciding a Jewish law comes from the Torah. This refers to a majority of judges who decide the guilt or innocence of an accused criminal. But the very fact that a minority can speak up and try to convince the majority it has the correct view, shows that Judaism tolerates minority opinions, even in cases that they do not rule that way. This was further demonstrated by how the highest Jewish Court, the Sanhedrin, deliberated capital crimes and other issues that affected the entire Jewish nation. The physical setup of the Sanhedrin was that of a semicircle, which is imitated today by the Knesset, the Israeli parliament. The Talmud states that the younger and less experienced members of the deliberative body would sit on the sides, while the more prominent members sat towards the middle. But when they begin deliberations, the first members who spoke were those that sat on the sides, the newest members, who gave their opinions first. This was the intentional order, so that the less experienced judges would not be influenced or intimidated by the opinion of the veterans. Sanhedrin 32b, 36a Thus, we see that Judaism not only tolerated different views, but actually encouraged and wanted different viewpoints on each subject that was judged.