Q&A: Halakhic Authority
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Halakhic Authority
Question
Hello Rabbi, are there any other things that are binding on the entire Jewish people besides the Talmud (the Babylonian Talmud)? If not, then how is it that Jewish laws are sometimes brought from the minor tractates, the Jerusalem Talmud, and so on?
Answer
Talmudic sources from the period of the Sages are regarded as carrying significant weight. But what is actually binding is only the Babylonian Talmud, and perhaps also the Jerusalem Talmud when there is no dispute about it in the Babylonian Talmud. Therefore, one can bring proofs from such sources, just as one brings proofs from the medieval authorities (Rishonim) and later authorities (Acharonim). But it is not binding.