וּבָאתָ֗ אֶל־הַכֹּהֲנִים֙ הַלְוִיִּ֔ם וְאֶ֨ל־הַשֹּׁפֵ֔ט אֲשֶׁ֥ר יִהְיֶ֖ה בַּיָּמִ֣ים הָהֵ֑ם וְדָרַשְׁתָּ֙ וְהִגִּ֣ידוּ לְךָ֔ אֵ֖ת דְּבַ֥ר הַמִּשְׁפָּֽט׃
and appear before the levitical priests, or the magistrate in charge at the time, and present your problem. When they have announced to you the verdict in the case,
Torah Temimah points to Sanhedrin / Sifrei.
אשר יהיה בימים ההם. יפתח בדורו כשמואל בדורו.
English: Who will be in those days — Yiftach in his generation is like Shmuel in his generation.
One must accept the authority of the judges of one’s own time, even if they are not of the stature of earlier sages.
Derash on the verse (Bavli) — not a formal named middah of the 13. The temporal clause is read as requiring deference to the contemporary court.
The authority of the court of one’s own generation is binding, regardless of comparisons to earlier or greater sages.