During remarks on Monday in Yerushalayim, Rav Shmuel Eliyahu, Chief Rabbi of Tzfas, spoke critically about recent decisions issued by the Israeli Supreme Court, asserting that such rulings lack halachic legitimacy when they run counter to Torah law.
Rav Eliyahu emphasized that these types of rulings carry no halachic authority and explained that his position is firmly grounded in classical Jewish sources.
“If the Supreme Court rules against the law and a minister or Knesset member asks me who to listen to, their ruling has no validity and the source for that is in the Gemara, Mishna, and the Rambam’s halachic rulings — practical halachic rulings — and the sages ruled that way since that’s what the Torah says.”
Expanding on his point, the rov highlighted that Torah law obligates individuals to think for themselves and not surrender their judgment to external authority. “The Torah tells man to use his discretion, don’t follow blindly, and anyone who demands that you follow blindly is contradicting the Torah, how can we go against the Torah, G-d forbid?”
Rav Eliyahu concluded his remarks by reiterating that from a halachic perspective, there is no requirement to adhere to judicial rulings that oppose the law of the Torah. “Therefore, we hope that there won’t be a situation where the judges rule against the law, since if they rule against the law, there is no need to follow their ruling.”
{Matzav.com Israel}