Lead Tidbit
Two Big Ones... and a little one
The first Aliya of this week's sedra deals with setting up Sanhedrin and other courts in Israel. The first example of the functioning of the court is Idolatry. (This kind of transgression is in the jurisdiction of the smaller Sanhedrins of 23 judges.) If a man or a woman... shall do evil in G-d's eyes, violating His covenant...worshiping idols... you shall meticulously investigate... take this man or woman and put them to death. That's Big One number one.

The next parsha (still within the first Aliya) deals with Zakein Mamrei, a certified halachic authority who deviates from a decree or decision of the Sanhedrin and issues a p'sak halacha (halachic decision) that contradicts that of Sanhedrin. If the issue involves the punishment of KARET (excision, death and more, from Heaven), then there are circumstances that can subject the individual in question to a death penalty by Sanhedrin. (This is an intricate topic and what was mentioned in this paragraph is simplified to make a point.)

That's the second Big One. The potential damage to the unity of the Jewish community and the weakening of halachic authority cannot be under- stated. Is the Torah equating the harm to Judaism of Idolatry and the Zakein Mamrei? Perhaps.

And now let's take a little look at the little one. This one comes from the same parsha as Zakein Mamrei. It is the other "thing" we learn from this parsha. Rabbinic authority and law. The mitzva of Netilat Yadayim, the prohibition of chicken and milk, what you can and cannot handle on Shabbat, the smallest detail of brachot...and a myriad of other halachic details and concepts - even the smallest one - is part of AL PI HATORAH... TAASEH and LO TASUR, the positive mitzva and prohibition which give Torah sanction to Rabbinic decrees and pronouncements. Violations might not be capital offenses, but the Torah is teaching us how important Rabbinic authority is by juxtaposing it to Idolatry and Zakein Mamrei.