Parashas Shoftim - Right is Left or Left is Left?

The Parasha starts off with commanding us to appoint Judges and Police Officers. Then in the 9^th posuk it says, “You are to come before the Kohanim, the Levi'im, and the Judge officiating during those days... You are to act according to the word that they tell you... and you are to be careful to do exactly as they instruct you... Do not deviate from the word they tell you, neither right or left!”

Rashi comments, “Even if he tells you that right is left or left is right...”

The Ramban says, “Even if you know in your heart that they are wrong, and it's pashut what the answer is, you must still obey their words!”

A lesson I got from this week's parasha is that if we're going to ask a well learned Rav a question in law and not do as he says, then we're transgressing a Torah commandment! Furthermore, there are some people who think they know what the answer is going to be but when they ask, to their surprise, the answer is the opposite. Instead of taking the psak they got, they go in search of another well-learned Rabbi, in hope that he will give them the answer they want. Can you imagine what they'll do when the latter Rabbi tells them the same psak as the first Rabbi? You guessed it, they'll go to find another one!

The Gemara in Brachos (4b) says, “Whoever transgresses the words of the Sages is liable to death.” Conversely, the Gemara in Yevamos (20a) says, “Whoever fulfills the directives of the Sages is considered holy.”

In addition to the lesson above, some may take Rabbinic prohibitions lightly and are stringent with Torah prohibitions. Rabbeinu Yona in Shaarei Teshuvah (3:5) explains that one who transgresses a Torah law does so because he was overpowered by his yetzer hara. However, one who transgresses a Rabbinic law does so because he takes their words lightly and not because of his inability to withstand the yetzer hara.

If you think about it, when you transgress a Rabbinic law, you're also transgressing a Torah commandment since Hashem instructed us to listen to our Rabbanim. Either way, we can now see the importance of listening to our Rabbanim, even if we feel they might have been mistaken.

Have a wonderful Shabbos,

Nisso