[Avodah] Minhag Yisroel and Gra on 2 Matzos vs.3 Matzos

[Arie Folger]

On Friday, 19. October 2007 11.25:24 avodah-request at lists.aishdas.org wrote:
> I guess I feel RHS is coming across not acknowledging other "kosher"
> approaches - his way or the highway.  Whether he intends to do that, I do
> not know, I have not verified this with him.  I would say that we can
> quibble with the underlying premise in any given paragraph.

This is common in literature, especially in books like MiPninei HoRav, for 
there, RHS is trying to explain his master, it is not a Shu"t.

BTW, I am fascinated by your abilities to analyze this matter with such 
thoroughness, but fear it will go nowhere. Halakhah is not mathematics, and 
posqim are not mechanics. Clearly, the GRA often overturned consensus, and it 
doesn't always jibe with what we are used to see. Others do so more modestly 
all the time.

I would tend to believe the following: Halakhah - within bounds - clearly 
develops over time. However, this development isn't always positive. 
Sometimes, after a few centuries, someone will notice how the bounds within 
which Halakhah should be allowed to develop have been overstepped, because we 
have gotten too far from the psaq in the Bavli, Yerushalmi, Midrash Zohar or 
whatever. The list isn't always exactly the same, but dependent upon the 
minhag and hashqfah of the poseq.

Some people are very modest, on account of their less great stature, and hence 
will not want to overturn consensus so quickly. Others, like the GRA, are so 
great that they are bothered by some deviations that most of us don't feel. 
Being as great as they are, they are bold and quick to disregard some 
concensus, and on account of their greatness, that is tolerated. Finally, 
there are some little people who feel that they can act like the GRA did, and 
they overturn consensus, but no one (or almost no one) will listen. The 
process of accepting ideas here is probably similar to the way RMF discribed 
his growth into becomming the American posseq par excellence.

Also relevant is the kind of halakhic issue we are talking about. Having two 
matzot instead of three isn't as grave IMHO as blowing shofar on RH she'hal 
beShabbat where unwarranted. Hence, you'll find a lot fewer people 
entertaining pasqening like the RIF on shofar, but more about 2 matzot like 
the GRA.

In conlusion, I do not believe that we can find a single overarching principle 
that explains all ma'hloqot in halakhah.
-- 
Arie Folger
http://www.ariefolger.googlepages.com