[Avodah] Decentralizing Authority

[Micha Berger via Avodah]

On Mon, Aug 07, 2017 at 09:45:54PM -0400, Akiva Miller via Avodah wrote:
: We have said in the past, that in theory, when a gadol says, "This is
: how it appears to me, given the Torah that I've internalized," that is
: the greater Daas Torah. But in practice, others may find it difficult
: to accept it, for lack of hearing the sources and logic.

I wouldn't call that DT at all. In my experience, DT refers to turning
to gedolei Torah for questions whose unknowns are not Torah. Typical
reasons given:

1- Absorbing all that Torah gives a mind a particular perspective and
ability more in line with retzon haBorei and Emes. (The usual Yeshivish
model.)

2- HQBH gives siyata dishmaya to the tzadiq who takes on caring for the
community. (The usual Chassidish model.)

3- Actually, there is no promise of doing any better than if one would
ask any other genius. BUT, with the loss of melukhah, leadership went to
Sanhedrin, and with the loss of the Sanhedrin, leadership goes to the
current rabbinate. It's an obligation in how to run a community, and
doesn't come with any special mechanism for success. (R' Dovid Cohen,
and RYBS's haTzitzi vehaChoshen, but RYBS apparently walked away from
DT in general when he left Agudah.)

#3 also differs in only justifying seeking DT on communal questions, and
not necessarily personal ones.

Here we're talking about halakhah.



So, I'd like to see if we can discuss the flipside of the discussion.

Rather than asking about the heteronomy of following gedolei haposqim
and why today's posqim seem to be failing getting that kind of fealty
from certain large segments of the masses, what about the autonomy end?

We have a very literate masses. More people can hit the primary sources
themselves. And for those who can't, oir lack the patience to, there are
more secondary and tertiary sources available in laaz than ever before.
Joys of computerized publishing, which has made producing a book cheaper
than ever.

In this world, how much autonomy should a sho'el assume for himself? Which
questions don't need asking? I presume a wide variety of opinion; I am
more interested in various rationales than in any particular answer.

What about the LOR -- do you have thoughts about when he should field
the question, and when he should punt to his own rav or to a gadol? And
does the ease at which anyone can be reached anywhere on the globe matter?

Universal education, telecom, the web's ability to provide instand
"research" are all bottom-up reasons our authority is being
decentralized. With little to do on those elegable to assume that
authority vs those of the past.

Although the ease of LH and motzi sheim ra about those rabbanim with
today's tech does enter into it to, r"l. If no one can become a navi
in his childhood neighborhood, today's world makes it harder and harder
to leave that effect.

My own feeling is that anyone of East European ancestry who was not
higi'ah lehora'ah who faces a new (for them) situation and doesn't get
a sense of consensus from the Chayei Adam, Qitzur, MB and AhS should be
asking a she'eilah.

Notice that shows my own bias against popularist guides. Unless said
guide was written by or recommended by one's poseiq as a viable resource.

And in terms of autonomy vs heteronomy, I would be seeking a poseiq who
(1) convinces me of the soundness of his reasoning; and (2) is willing to
work with my givens on things like hashkafah and beliefs about metzi'us,
where there are no rules of pesaq. As in RMF's pesaq about Hallel on
YhA.

(Tangent: Notice that there is little connection between pesaq and
hashkafah on this one. RYBS, the Zionist, adhered to a meta-halakhah in
which the barriers to saying Hallel are high, and came out against. As a
compromise for LORs whose mispallelim won't tolerate that, he would advise
the rav to pasqen that they omit the berakhah. Whereas RMF told Zionists
that leshitasam, it would be appropriate to say Hellal WITH a berakhah.)

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             Every second is a totally new world,
micha at aishdas.org        and no moment is like any other.
http://www.aishdas.org           - Rabbi Chaim Vital
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