Down the Rabbinate Hole II: Halakhah and Hierarchy

In this episode we describe the essential structure of halakhic authority as a social phenomenon (not as a matter of doctrine). We describe two models - the formal hierarchical model and the horizontally distributed model - and contend, elaborating on the view of Jacob Katz, that Halakhah operates according to a third model - an informal, emergent hierarchy. The implication of this model is that there is no such thing as articulation of Halakhah in a vacuum. Reception and acceptance by communities is an inherent element of what makes Halakhah.