Why Did the Sages of Israel Establish Additional Commandments? Isn't the Torah's Commandments Enough?

Are you familiar with the situation where you're driving a bit faster than the speed limit, and suddenly you encounter a speed bump that you didn't notice, giving your car an unpleasant jolt? The Department of Transportation didn't design speed bumps to make driving harder but as a measure to compel drivers to reduce speed to the allowed limit, thus preventing traffic accidents. It's a means to ensure we keep away from high speeds, thereby protecting our lives.

The Sages of Israel established safeguards in certain areas, where they knew there was a risk of transgressing Torah prohibitions. For example, the prohibition of muktzeh, which forbids moving objects whose use is prohibited on Shabbat, was established to prevent accidental desecration of Shabbat. All these safeguards serve as protective walls for the Jew, helping avoid major transgressions, much like the warning on a train platform "Do not cross the yellow line".

For instance, among the enactments by the Sages intended to create a certain distance between the Jewish people and other nations, thus preventing assimilation, are the prohibitions against eating bread baked by a non-Jew and food cooked by a non-Jew, even if all ingredients are kosher. These prohibitions prevent social situations and the creation of overly personal connections between a Jew and a non-Jew, as shared meals lead to closeness.

Hashem is the one who commands that sages set boundaries to guard the Torah – "And you shall keep My charge" (Leviticus 18:30), meaning to create a precaution for Hashem's command by establishing safeguards and fences for the commandments of the Torah. Likewise, Hashem commands us, the Jewish people, to observe and uphold the decrees and ordinances of the Sages of Israel – "According to the word they tell you from that place which Hashem chooses, and you shall be careful to do according to all they instruct you: according to the law which they shall teach you and according to the judgment that they shall tell you, you shall do; you shall not turn aside from the word they tell you, right or left" (Deuteronomy 17:10-11); "Ask your father, and he will tell you, your elders, and they will say to you" (Deuteronomy 32:7).

Establishing a decree was not a trivial matter for the Sages. They required deep thought, foresight, consideration and great caution.

The first Sanhedrin in history was established by Moses through divine mission, and the ordination of sages to rule for Israel is passed down from generation to generation, as it is stated in the Torah "And you shall come to the priests, the Levites, and the judge that shall be in those days and inquire, and they shall tell you the word of judgment" (Deuteronomy 17:9).

Hashem endowed the sages of each generation with the authority, and even the obligation, to enact and amend decrees for the observance of Torah laws. In addition, sages have the right to establish additional commandments that do not merely serve as safeguards for the Torah. Indeed, most of the Sages' enactments aim to ensure the observance of the Torah's commandments. There are seven rabbinic commandments, and they are: lighting the Chanukah candle, lighting Shabbat and festival candles, reading the Megillah on Purim, washing hands before eating bread, blessings, eruvim, and reciting Hallel. Even for the fulfillment of a rabbinic mitzvah, we bless "Blessed are You, Hashem, who sanctifies us with His commandments and commands us..." And the question arises, how can we say that Hashem commanded us when Hashem did not command us to wash hands or read a Megillah or light a Shabbat candle? The answer is that Hashem commanded us to follow the sages' guidance – "You shall not turn away from the word they tell you" (Deuteronomy 17:11), and therefore, fulfilling a rabbinic commandment is essentially fulfilling a divine command. Thus, any transgression of an ordinance or commandment established by the sages is also a transgression of this Torah commandment.

Who gave rabbis the authority to establish laws? Rabbi Zamir Cohen responds: