Q&A: The Source of Rabbinic Enactments
The Source of Rabbinic Enactments
Question
The last time I asked you a question, you wrote that it wasn’t clear, so I’ll try to explain. The law of muktzeh and the laws of eruvin are novel laws that the Rabbis “invented.” In the 63 tractates that we have, there is Torah knowledge. There has to be a divine source for this knowledge. So granted, with Torah law and its commandments, the source of the ideas that emerge from them, and the depth within them, is the Torah itself. But a novel law like muktzeh or ritual hand-washing—from where did the Rabbis draw the wisdom, knowledge, and halakhic and conceptual depth to innovate them, if they “are not found in the Torah itself”?
Answer
Why does there need to be conceptual depth? There is a problem, and they enact an ordinance accordingly. That is their authority, and what is needed is authority, not conceptual depth.
Discussion on Answer
Of course there is benefit in it. But there are simple benefits that don’t require any special depth. For example, they added a prohibition against poultry with milk as a decree lest one come to meat with milk. Is there any special depth in that? Not necessarily. It simply seemed necessary to them, and so they decreed it.
By and large, yes.
Yes, certainly.
Take a look at the fifth notebook, where he wrote about topics relevant to your question regarding the tradition:
And here, take a look as well (I recommend giving priority to) comment 26 below:
Does the honorable Rabbi think there is no conceptual depth in those additions to the Torah?
Were they permitted to add even when there was no depth or benefit in it at all?