Thursday, June 14, 2007

Very Interesting Post By Rabbi Gil Student

My wife pointed me in the direction of this post by Rabbi Gil Student. It discusses the fallibility of Talmidei Chachamim and the fallacy of those who believe a halacha should be followed at all times, even when it makes no common sense to do so (and isn't, I add, transgressing a Torah Lav or Aseh). He also briefly discusses the fallacy of having complete Emunas Chachamim and in believing they too were infallible. Rabbi Student quotes Rabbi Herschel Shachter:

I recently met a young talmid chochom who insisted that a certain halacha in Shulchan Aruch must be understood literally, as applying in all cases, even when it made no sense. I argued that it was self understood that one use his common sense, and only apply the halacha when it indeed did make sense. (I later checked the Iggros Moshe of Rav Moshe Feinstein and he wrote exactly the same in that particular instance). This young talmid chochom told me, no, we may not use common sense at all, and even though the halacha – as he misunderstood it – made no sense, he has “emunas chachomim.” I told him that this was a Christian concept (the principle of the infallibility of the posek). Our Torah speaks of the theoretical possibility of a par he’elem davar shel tzibbur, a korban brought in a situation where all seventy one members of the Sanhedrin paskened wrong. The torah tells us that on one occasion Moshe Rabbeinu was about to issue an incorrect psak, until he listened to his brother Aharon and corrected his position.

If God provided for this instance (Par He'elem Davar Shel Tzibbur), does it not stand to reason that gedolim are indeed fallible?

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