[Avodah] status of the Ari & Besht

[Eli Turkel]

> <As for the question of rishonim and acharonim and yeridas hadoros,
> that model doesn't fit the Baal Shem Tov, whose rebbe was <Achiyah
> Hashiloni.
>
> To state that the Baal Shem Tov's Rebbe was Achiyah Hashiloni as an
> undisputed fact is a bit much. The Gra certainly didn't believe that
> the Baal Shem Tov's Rebbe was Achiyah Hashiloni. I don't think that
> any of the Litvishe Gedolim (certainly not the Briskers) throughout
> the generations ever believed this story. As RYBS would say it is a
> chassidishe maase. To state that because of this maase the Baal Shem
> Tov is not governed by the general klallim of yeridas hadoros and
> rishonim is very dangerous.


You have two choices. Either it's a fact, or he was a liar.  And *that*
is a very dangerous position.>>

Does this special status of Ari and Besht apply to halacha or just hasgacha?
The ability of the Ari and Zohar to outweigh SA seems to be a
machloket of Eidot Ashekenaz
and eidot Sefard. However, certainly NO ONE outside of chassidic
circles gives the Besht the
right to override SA. In fact this was one of the main complaints
against the early chassidim i
including zemanei tefillah.
In recently RMF does not understand the right of chassidim to change
their nusach tefillah.

To accuse all these poskim of calling people a liar and being a
dangerous position seems itself to
be a dangerous position

-- 
Eli Turkel