[Avodah] Love/Mercy as a Factor in Halakhic Decision

[Arie Folger]

RMMakovi wrote:
> Anyway, my point was, that I've lost count of how many times Orthodox
> polemicists have criticized the Conservative interpretation of Beit
> Hillel's victory, viz. "they were lenient". Since Rabbi Halevy said
> exactly this

I write the following with great hesitation, R'HDhL was a great TC and
yerei shamayim.

Nonetheless, by now, you might understand why R'HDhL isn't always part
of consensus and some people squirm when thinking of some of his
famous quotes. He does at times sound a little Conservative. (chv"sh
that I would label him C; I am just explaining why some of his ideas
might not be so accepted and acceptable. Definitely, he has no more
authority than anyone else to kasher an opinion; we in halakhic
Judaism don't have a pope, nor do we have a Committee on Jewish Law
and Standards or whatever it is called. Sadly, we do not have a
Sanhedrin yet. It is our way that ideas are debated and either
accepted or rejected over time. However, unlike Rambam, Rashba and
other Rishonim, I don't think that we can assume that by virtue of his
greatness, ipso facto none of RHDhL's ideas could be questionable. He
would need more support.)


Kol tuv,
-- 
Arie Folger
http://ariefolger.wordpress.com/
http://www.ariefolger.googlepages.com