The fifth division are the laws that are made by way of investigation and consensus about things that occur among people – that do not have in them an addition to a commandment, nor a subtraction – or about things that are of benefit to people in matter of the Torah. And the sages called them decrees and practices.

And it is forbidden to transgress them; and Shlomo, peace be upon him, already said (Ecclesiastes 10:8), "one who breaches a fence will be bitten by a snake." And these decrees are very numerous and are mentioned in the Talmud and in the Mishnah – some of them about what is prohibited and forbidden, and some of them about monetary issues.

And there are some of them that are the decrees that the prophets decreed, like the decrees of Moshe and Yehoshua and Ezra, like they said (Megillah 4a – Chapter 1), "Moshe decreed for Israel that they should ask and expound about the laws of Pesach on Pesach." And they said (Berakhot 48b – Chapter 7), "Moshe decreed hazan (the first blessing in the grace) at the time that the manna fell for Israel." But the decrees of Yehoshua and Ezra are many.

And there are some of them that are decrees attributed to individuals among the sages, as they said (Mishnah Sheviit 10:3), "Hillel decreed pruzbul," (Gittin 34b) "Rabban Gamliel the Elder decreed," (Beitzah 5a) "Yochanan ben Zakkai decreed," and in the Talmud [one frequently finds], "Rabbi x decreed, Rabbi y decreed."

And there are some of them that are decrees attributed to the many sages, as they said (Ketuvot 49:), "In Usha, they decreed," or as it is said, "The sages decreed" or "It is a decree of the sages," and many that are similar to it.