Q&A: Mara De’atra: What Is His Authority?
Mara De’atra: What Is His Authority?
Question
Is there today any formal authority, in Jewish law and in practice, in the figure of the local rabbi?
And if not, why not?
[I mean in “normal” places, where he was appointed through elections and the will of the community… not through the usual political strong-arm tactics.]
Answer
That’s not really a question about today. What has changed today from the past? If the community chooses a rabbi, then it is supposed to follow his rulings. But that is not by virtue of “do not deviate”; rather, it is a matter of contract law. In other words, the obligation is not toward him, but toward the other members of the community who decided on this. Like any other decision made by a community. Therefore, in one’s home, in my opinion, there is no obligation to obey him, so long as it does not affect the community (for example, the kashrut of food served to the public or to others from the community).