There are no coincidences. Today’s daf and this week’s parsha intersect in a beautiful thought.

Let us start with the Parsha Maasei. In Chapter 33, sentence 29 the pasuk tells us the Israel traveled from to Beit Hashimus until Avil Hashitem by the plains of Moav. Rashi says: Here it teaches us that the camp of Israel was 12 mil, as stated by Rabba Bar Chana in Eruvin.

Turn now to today’s daf of Sanedrin 5 where authorization to judge or gives ruling is discussed. Rabbah Bar Channa is mentioned stating that he had authorization to rule as given by the head of the Jews in exile (Rash Galusa) and the Nasi in Eretz Yisrael.

What is the connection: Authority. Israel only had authority to move when directed by Hashem.  As Rashi says, they were  a unified camp of 12 mil.

Judges gave ruling when they were empowered by authority either the Nasi in Israel or the Rash Galusa in Bavel as Sanhedrin tells us.

We live in a world where we must submit to authority. The authority by Hashem or to people that Hashem gives authority -like the rabbis. It is not a popular thought. It is hard to recognize and swallow the will of a higher authority. But to see the hand of Gd in the world, is to subordinate our will to the higher authority.