I am often accused of bashing Gedolei Yisroel. Well I would like to clear up once and for all that I DO NOT! Never have... never will. But I DO often disagree with them. Is that the same as bashing them? No, of course not. Why not? Read on.
First a bit of an explanation about past posts on this subject. I have written that there are no Gedolei Yisroel today. What I meant by that is that there are no Gedolei Yisroel today that are anything like what we had in the last generation, which included the likes of R. Moshe Feinstein. But even more... it is my personal belief that the current generation is so far removed from that one as to create a separate Tekufa... a new era akin to the separation between Rishonim and Achronim. Why I feel that way is the subject of another essay which I will not go into now. But every generation has it Gedolim (which I prefer calling “Rabbinic leadership” as this is how Agudah often refers to them in their writings) and today is no different. Who they are depends on who you ask. But in Charedi circles it is the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah of Agudas Yisroel. For the purpose of this essay I will refer to them as Gedolim as I will any of the rabbinic leadership of any other stream within Orthodoxy.
The question is: “How should we treat Gedloim”? What is considered appropriate behavior for Bnei Torah with respect to Gedolim?
The answer is quite simple: They are top be treated with the utmost of respect. They deserve it as leaders in the Torah world, no matter how much we disagree with their Hashkafos. I have too often read comments on this blog and elsewhere that refer to them quite disparagingly. And this is absolutely wrong. I understand their reasons. It is because of the many controversies stemming from certain of their pronouncements, most notably the banning of two books, especially one of them. They... WE (I include myself) ...have been attacked. In the course of banning that book our very Emunah has been challenged. Our beliefs have been attacked as K’fira, heresy! And the fact that the ban was issued by a man who is considered THE GADOL HADOR has made almost all other Gedolim stand by it.
So the resulting disrespect from many of us is therefore quite understandable... even natural. But it is wrong! We are allowed to disagree with them. But we are not allowed to besmirch them and doing so is a HUGE Chilul HaShem.
But... ARE we in fact allowed to disagree with them? This is a matter of contention and controversy between Centrists and the world of the right. And this is key to understanding one of the most fundamental differences between us.
The issue of is that of infallibility. While everyone, including the most right wing among the Torah world agrees that Gedolim, even the ones of the last generation, are fallible, the Right treats their pronouncements as though they are infallible. This is made clear time and again by Agudah which constantly restates this position. What ever the Gedolim say... goes. Period.
Why? ... How can they say that Gedolim are fallible and yet treat their words as inviolable?
The answer is deceptively simple. The argument is that since they are by far the most knowledgeable in Torah our knowledge pales by comparison. Their thoughts on every subject is therefore filtered through the prism of their Torah knowledge. Our opinions are near worthless in comparison to theirs if it contradict their opinions. After all they say, who should one listen to, a Baal HaBos or the Gedolim? A Gadol says, “Don’t do something” ..even if it is not a Halachic issue, it is treated as though it were. They also believe that our Gedolim, even the ones we have today, have access to Ruach HaKodesh which gives their pronouncements an added boost of legitimacy and treata it as though it is the word of God. This is what is called “Daas Torah” and it is therefore looked at as inviolable.
But it shouldn’t be. Daas Torah should mean the wisdom of people knowledgeable in Torah The less something has to do with Halacha the less it should be valued. Here is how I believe it should work:
In the case of Psak, one is required to listen to a Gadol or a Posek. If for example one asks a Shaila to a Gadol or Posek on Hilchos Niddah and he Paskins... that is it. That is the Halacha. One cannot contradict it even if he has learned otherwise because indeed the Gadol’s knowledge is far greater than yours. That does not mean that there can’t be Maclokes HaPoskim. There is of course much of that. And when asking a Shaila one is permitted to ask the Posek that he believes will be more favorable to him. But once he has gotten a Psak from a Posek he must listen to it. He cannot “shop it”. And in those cases where the Psak is universal....it’s over. Daas Torah has spoken.
In the case of Hashkafa, one does not have to listen but should instead value it against what he hears from many differing Torah sources and other disciplines (such as science) and filter the information though his own rational mind to find a Hashkafa that works for him. As long as the conclusions are not in contradiction to fundamental belief it is not a problem, in my view. If for example a Gadol says that it is wrong to believe that the universe is more than 5766 years old, one need not necessarily believe that. One can find sources in the Torah world that allow factoring in scientific knowledge that contradicts the notion of a young universe and allows belief that the age of the universe is 15 billion years old.
In the case of communal issues, it is yet another step removed from being the word of God. If a Gadol states his views about participating in a rally for Israel for example, one should factor in his opinion and perhaps give it more with then even his own. But he may in good conscience do as he chooses... again, as long as it does not violate the fundamentals of Torah and does not create a Chilul HaShem.
What about Ruach HaKodesh? How does one dispute advice from someone who has it? The answer is that they do not have Ruach HaKodesh. At least not the man who is considered by most Bnei Torah to be the Gadol Hador, Rav Yosef Sholom Elyashiv, a Gadol and a Zaken who belongs to the last generation of Gedolim. Rav Elyashiv by his own admission said he does not have Ruach HaKodesh. And if the Gadol HaDor doesn’t have it, does a lesser Gadol? I don't think so and I think they would be the first to tell you they don't.
So that’s the bottom line. Our Gedolim are not infallible and we need not treat every pronouncement they make as though they were. But it would be the biggest Chilul HaShem to disrespect them in any way. Kavod HaTorah demands it.
