[Avodah] Who is a Talmid Chacham

[Doron Beckerman]

> This is halachic authority, not political.

Political authority carries halachic judicial authority with it -
just as a Melech has legal judicial (or extra-judicial) authority,
and it was to be obeyed. But Yiftach was not the head of the Sanhedrin
or anything close to it. He is called a Parnas in that Gemara, not a
Dayyan, a Zakein, or a Shofeit. The Shoftim were usually appointed by
the Sanhedrin in recognition of some Ruach Hashem that was within them
that made them good Moshi'im. Which also renders them irrelevant to
discussion about the draft.

> Asa didn't draft them for national defense, he had them gathering the
> stones off Ramah and building with them. Melakhim I 15:23, and the
> gemara's calling them an angary<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angary>.
> (Thanks to RZS for identifying the term for me.)

Oy. The Angaria is not the requisitioning of the *rocks*, it is the
requisitioning of the *people*, the Talmidei Chachamim that he should not
have touched! Compare to Nedarim 32a where Avraham Avinu is criticized
for "Angaria BeTalmidei Chachamim" regarding his war to try and save Lot.
According to one opinion there - his punishment for that was no slap on
the wrist. It cost us 210 years in Egypt.

Assa removed the wall that was besieging him - of course it was part
of a war effort. That's why we even mention Chasan Mechadro etc. See
Maharsha to Sotah ad loc. whether the two statements are connected.

But you are correct that this was not a Milchemes Mitzvah. Please,
please see the sources I have linked to already (RYMT, Einayim Lamishpat,
Tzitz Eliezer).