Voting and Rabbinic Authority (part two)
Daas Torah cont'd
What is the source for the obligation to listen to Chazal in the first place? For what kind of issues do we have to consult rabbis? Which rabbis do we need to listen to?
The types of Mesorah - the interpretations handed down from Sinai, exegesis, and gezerot/takanot. The Rambam writes that although the Sanhedrin might make a mistake, the Torah wants us to listen to them anyway.
Does the prohibition of לא תסור apply today in the absence of a Sanhedrin? If not, what is the nature of the obligation to listen to rabbinic figures?
The Rambam's opinion is that לא תסור applies not only to beit din but to Sanhedrin and the Gemara as well. The prohibition doesn't apply beyond the Gemara. If then, what is the nature of the authority of later rabbinic structures? לא תסור doesn't apply to later rabbinic figures or bodies according to the Rambam, only to the Sanhedrin. The obligation to listen to a rabbinic figure is not based on לא תסור but based on who one chooses to follow.
Delivered at the OU Israel Center, April 3rd, 2019, 27 Adar II 5779