Editing Orthodox Judaism (section)

=== Rabbinic authority ===
{{see|Rabbinic authority}}
Rabbinic leadership, assigned with implementing and interpreting tradition, changed considerably over the centuries, separating Orthodox from pre-modern Judaism. Since the demise of the [[Geonim]], who led the Jewish world up to 1038, ''halakha'' was adjudicated locally, and the final arbiter was mostly the local rabbi, the ''Mara d'Athra'' (Master of the Area). He was responsible to judicially instruct his community. Emancipation and modern transport and communication made this model untenable.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Kirschenbaum |first=Aaron |date=1993 |title=MARA DE-ATRA: A Brief Sketch |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/23260883 |journal=Tradition: A Journal of Orthodox Jewish Thought |volume=27 |issue=4 |pages=35–40 |jstor=23260883 |issn=0041-0608}}</ref> While Orthodox communities, especially the more conservative ones, have rabbis who technically fill this capacity, the public generally follows more broadly known authorities who are not limited by geography, and based on reverence and peer pressure more than coercion. These may be either popular [[Rosh yeshiva|chairs of Talmudic academies]], renowned [[posek|decisors]], and, in the [[Hasidic]] world, hereditary ''[[rebbe]]''s.

Their influence varies considerably: In conservative Orthodox circles, mainly Haredi, rabbis possess strong authority, and often exercise leadership. Bodies such as the [[Council of Torah Sages]], [[Moetzet Chachmei HaTorah|Council of Torah Luminaries]], the [[Central Rabbinical Congress]], and the [[Orthodox Council of Jerusalem]] are all held as the arbiters in their respective communities. In the more liberal Orthodox sectors, rabbis are revered and consulted, but rarely exert direct control.