출애굽기 32:2의 Halakhah

The commandment of inclining towards the many: To incline towards the many, and that is when there arise a disagreement among the sages in a law of all the Torah laws - and so too in a private case, meaning to say a case that would be between Reuven and Shimon, for example - when there would be a disagreement between the judges of their city, that some of them rule guilty and some rule innocent, to always go after the majority; as it is stated (Exodus 32:2), "to incline towards the many." And in the elucidation, they, may their memory be blessed, said (Chullin 11a), "The majority is by writ of the Torah." And this choice of the majority appears to be when the two opposing groups are equally known for their Torah wisdom - as it cannot be said that a small group of sages would not be decisive against a great group of ignoramuses, and even like [the number] that went out from Egypt. But with approximately equal wisdom, the Torah informed us that the many opinions will always conform to the truth more than the minority. But whether - according to the opinion of the listener - they agree to the truth or they do not agree to the truth, logic dictates that we do not swerve from the path of the majority. And that which I say that the choice of the majority is always with two groups that disagree that are equal in the wisdom of truth is said so about every place except for the Sanhedrin. As with them, we are not exacting when they disagree as to which group knows more; but rather we always do like the words of their majority. And the reason is because they had an obligatory number [of people] by writ of the Torah; and it is as if the Torah explicitly commanded, "Do all of your matters according to the majority of these" - and also as they were all great sages.