[Avodah] Differences between Charedism and Modern Orthodoxy

[Rich, Joel]

On Wed, Jul 30, 2008 at 05:35:21PM -0400, Rich, Joel wrote:
:> And WRT general advice: R' Dovid Cohen, certainly not MO, does not :>
believe that "the gedolim" have any guarantee of getting answers right.
:> Rather, he shows that without a melekh, some of the authority of :>
melukhah fell to the rabbanim. So RDC still says that we need to turn to
:> gedolei Torah to run a community but because of authority, not
accuracy.

: I've heard R'HS say something similar but what is the source? ...

See R' Algred Cohen's paper on Daat Torah at
<http://jlaw.com/Articles/cohen_DaatTorah.pdf> (RJJ, Spring 2003) and R'
Yitzchak Kasdan's response at
<http://jlaw.com/Articles/observ-on-daat.html>.

RDC is in "Maaseh Avos, Siman Labanim" I, which Artscroll had translated
in "Templates for Ages" at page 33: "The Crown of Torah and the Crown of
Kingship; the Hasmoneans and the Concept of Daas Torah". (That's from
RYK's fn 14.)

RYK also points out:
>                                              For example, in Gitin 62a

> the gemara calls rabbanim, "melachim." See also "Harrirai Kedem"
> (R. Michal Shurkin's sefer based on the Torah of Rabbi Joseph B.
> Soloveitchk, the "Rav") at page reish samach hei (265), where (as my 
> brother pointed out to me) the Rav zt'l compares a mara d'aatra to a 
> melech. Finally, see"Keser Torah: Based on the Words of Rav Hutner
zt'l"
> found at http://www.countryyossi.com/dec98/torah3.htm (anonymous
author).

> Moreover, the linkage between Rabbis and royalty did not appear to be 
> a controversial point to a reviewer in Tradition of a 1977 book by 
> Rabbi Mendell Lewittes, "Religious Foundations of the State of Israel"
> (reprinted by Aronson Press in 1994). In his volume (at 87), Rabbi 
> Lewittes bases himself upon the Ran in Drashot Haran when he states:
> "[I]n the absence of a kingdom, the religious authorities are able to 
> assume the responsibilities of political leadership." 
<SNIP>
=====================================================================

So we have one mention in the gemara in an unrelated context, some
mentions that sound similar to chatan domeh lmelech, and a statement
that the religious leaders "are able"  which may mean may step into a
vacuum.  My question was given the torah's preference for a separation
of powers, why wouldn't the preferred model be to continue that if
possible.

KT
Joel Rich
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