For nearly 1,800 years after Sinai, we had a Sanhedrin, 71 rabbanim who gave an authoritative voice in halacha. While different opinions always existed, the Sanhedrin provided a unifying decision, such as the compilation of the calendar, which continues to create harmony in Jewish life today.
Since the termination of the Sanhedrin, there have been many attempts to recreate such a system. In Baghdad, Paris, and repeatedly in Eretz Yisrael, the effort has been made to re-establish a Sanhedrin, with no success. I often wondered what was holding us back.
Last month, I traveled with my father to the levaya of Reb Moshe Kotlarsky, a”h, vice chairman of Merkos, and a key leader in the Chabad global network. I asked my father: how was it possible that Reb Moshe could help establish and expand communities in so many varied places, from Memphis to Moscow? My father, sheyichye, explained: Reb Moshe always started from the same place, exemplifying the Rebbe’s love for every single Jew. After that, with tremendous effort, the rest takes care of itself.
The same lesson could be applied to the formation of a Sanhedrin. Instead of the lofty goal of creating a Sanhedrin with the intent of creating consensus and unity, we could start the other way around. Start off with achdus, and a global movement to increase ahavas Yisrael among our people. Then, with the speedy arrival of Moshiach, the issue of creating a Sanhedrin can take care of itself.
