[Avodah] Gra & importance of rishonim

[Micha Berger]

On Sun, October 22, 2006 4:16 am, R Daniel Eidensohn wrote:
: R' Moshe Meiselman - writing in Jewish Action 1997 - asserts that the
: primacy that we give to the Rishonim in understanding texts was from the
: Vilna Gaon.

I don't see it the way you phrased it. RDE seems to be saying that the Gra
gave primacy to rishonim in understanding texts. From his quote, I would have
concluded that RMM's thesis is that he gave primacy to understanding the
texcual mesorah as a whole.

The article claims that the Gaon promoted a shift from learning SA to
understand din to learning a wider variety of texts (critical editions, to the
best of his ability) to understand the mesorah. That only after one understood
the textual mesorah as a whole could one address the pragmatics.

: The relevant quote from the article is the following:...

Ellisions mine.

: Most Torah learning, even through the early 18th century, revolved
: around the Shulchan Aruch. This not only reflects the nature of Torah
: study, but also reflects the nature of halachic development....
: All of this was changed by the Vilna Gaon. In his view, the legal
: aspect of Torah practice and Torah learning was secondary to the issue
: of text analysis.
: * He exerted major efforts in first establishing proper texts....
: * He then established the method of using rishonim as the benchmark of
:   proper text analysis.
: * Finally, all halachic decision-making, in his view, was consequent to
:   proper text analysis from the perspective of the various rishonim.

Tir'u baTov!
-mi

-- 
Micha Berger             One who kills his inclination is as though he
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