In this shiur we will focus on the authority and reliability of the bearers of the Oral Torah – the Sages. The Sages of Israel throughout Jewish history assumed three parallel responsibilities. They were at once 1) the carriers of the explanations of Torah laws, 2) interpreters of the Torah, and 3) legislators of rabbinical law. The Torah authorizes the Sages with a mandate to assume these roles. In this class we will explain how the Torah envisioned the role of the Sages and how that has played out practically in Jewish history.