[Avodah] Kosher Turkey and Women Rabbis and Mesorah

[Akiva Miller via Avodah]

R' Daniel M. Israel wrote:

> I've seen arguments like this one before, and they miss the
> critical difference. How rulings such as permitting turkey,
> the switch to nusach Sephard, or even how Judaism survived
> without the korbanos, all arose and entered the mainstream
> is a very interesting topic and beyond the scope of a post
> here (or my abilities to do justice to), but it is clear in
> all these cases that the source was not a group of activists
> promoting a agenda which was primarily driven by some outside
> value system. This makes all the difference.

Is it *really* so clear that these changes were not sourced by an outside
agenda?

Your examples vary widely. It is hard for us to imagine the trauma suffered
by the loss of korbanos, and how our leaders guided us into adapting to the
new reality. Of course they were driven by an *internal* value system,
wanting us to continue as Torah Jews without succumbing to the depressing
loss of such a major portion of our avodah - no pun intended. But turkey is
a whole 'nother story. What internal value system do you suggest drove that
ruling?

Let's take another example: Torah education for girls. Only a century or
two ago, it was very clear to *some* that the Beis Yaakov activists were
the ones who were driven by an agenda from *outside* our value system.

"History is written by the victors." Looking back, we can smugly rest
assured about who was proven to be right, and who was proven to be wrong.
But in the middle of it all, it is very very difficult. There were plenty
of genuine gedolim in Korach's camp who thought that Moshe Rabenu was the
one who had the agenda.

Akiva Miller
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