Why should Jews obey God’s commands? Does Judaism understand the relation of God’s rule over His people to the sovereign’s rule over his? Why and to what extent do Jews respect the decisions of rabbis, and how do the rabbis enforce their decision when their power to coerce compliance is limited? What force do prophetic criticisms of the people’s religious and moral failings have? All of these are question of authority discussed in Judaism until today, and we will explore them together in this course.