[Avodah] Gra & importance of rishonim

[Daniel Eidensohn]

R' Micha Berger wrote:
> . 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 critical question is what did R' Meiselman mean
> : * He then established the method of using rishonim as the benchmark of
> :   proper text analysis.
>   
I understand the above to mean that his use of the rishonim as a 
benchmarch was an innovation. If it was already common practice there 
would have been no need to "establish the method". Problem is that thre 
is apparently no support for such a thesis. If his point was only that 
the Gra went back to texts - that is not a chidush. I am now am trying 
to get clarification from R' Meiselman as to what he meant.