Communal Self-Government

The residents of a city may compel one another to build a synagogue for themselves and to buy a book of the Torah and the Prophets for themselves. And the residents of a city have the right to set prices, measurements, and laborers’ wages, and they have the authority to enforce their terms. The residents of a city have the right to say, “Whoever goes to see So-and-so must give such-and-such a sum, and whoever goes to see the government must give such-and-such a sum. Anyone whose cow [runs] or grazes among the vineyards must give such-and-such a sum, and anyone who grazes such-and-such an animal must give such-and-such a sum.” They have the authority to issue fines for violations of these terms.