Editing Divrei Sofrim (section)

== Source of the Expression ==
In Tractate Avodah Zarah, Rav Dimi learns from the verse "For your love is better than wine" (Shir HaShirim 1:2) that the words of the Scribes are more beloved to Knesset Yisrael than the fundamentals of the Written Torah.

In Tractate Eruvin, Rava's statement is written, which he learned from the verse (Kohelet 12:12): "Furthermore, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end..." The verse is a warning to the Jewish people to be careful not to disregard the words of the Scribes, because not every transgression of a Torah prohibition incurs the death penalty, whereas with a rabbinic prohibition there is a liability of death, as learned from the verse (Kohelet 10): "He who breaks down a fence shall be bitten by a serpent."