[Avodah] Personal Opinions

[Richard Wolberg]

It's hard to believe that any enlightened person could say:
"I'm not so sure we are entitled to personal opinions."

As long as it's within the pale of eilu v'eilu, the Torah encourages it.
The tefillin (tefilla) shel rosh has four separate compartments with  
four
separate pieces of parchment and the shel yad has all four sections on
one parchment. This isn't by accident or done willy nilly. When it comes
to action, we are (or should be) united! But when it comes to thinking,
we are entitled to our personal opinions. This is also why in the Amida
we say instead of Elokei Avrohom, Yitzchok, v'Yaakov, we say Elokei
Avrohom, Elokei Yitzchok, V'Eilokei Yaakov. Each generation has to find
God for him and herself.

It should be pointed out that the whole purpose of Avodah is to allow  
each
individual his or her personal opinion based on accepted criteria.  
Cognitive
dissonance and machlokess are the bulwark of our system.

Kol tuv/Best regards.
ri