[Avodah] standard opinion?

[Micha Berger]

On Mon, May 23, 2011 at 08:30:18AM -0700, Saul.Z.Newman at kp.org wrote:
: a review  of the new Dialogue Journal includes this observation [of r 
: meiselman's article]

: Furthermore, RMM claims there IS Psak when it comes to Hashkofo, and we 
: need to follow the majority 

RYGB writes about R' Meiselman's article:
        Rabbi Meiselman asserts ex cathedra that there is psak in
        Hashkafa. WADR, he is not (nor is anyone in this generation) of
        a stature to make such statements. Moreover, his critique of R'
        Aryeh Kaplan is fatally flawed by his omission of the Ramban,
        the Rabbeinu Bachya, and Reb Tzadok HaKohen of Lublin - not to
        mention the Tiferes Yisroel - who are all in accordance with
        the Sefer HaTemunah, which is in sync with R' Yitzchok d'min
        Akko. In short, an inadequate and insufficient essay.

	May 22, 2011 6:28 PM

IOW, R Meiselman writes about changing our views due to scientific
evidence. I don't think that's factually accurate, since it denies
the numerous baalei mesorah (and I think it's an overwhelming rov) who
taught of an old universe back when scientific theory was that there
was no beginning at all.

Returning to RSZN:
: is this  an to  agreed point?  is there any hope for those who believe 
: in such hashkafically assur entities as an old universe or a secular 
: Medina?

RGStudent convinced me a long while back that there is an overlap between
halakhah and hashkafah and in those areas -- and only those areas --
pesaq is a meaningful concept. As I wrote here numerous times in the past,
there are pesaqim about stam yeinam or geirus which revolve around what
the person believes (and, tangentially to this discussion, why). Thus,
someone could pasqen that you can't drink wine handled by someone who
has such-n-such a belief about mashiach.

However, that's not R' Meiselman's claim. IOW, he doesn't show how
halakhah developed from previous pesaqim about stam yeinam to excluding
those who believed in an old universe.

And one's opinion of the Medinah isn't remotely connected to any of the
beliefs listed in Hil Teshuvah pereq 3 as those of koferim, apiqursim
or minim.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
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