[Avodah] Derech psak

[Ben Bradley]

From: Micha Berger <micha at aishdas.org>
Sent: 18 March 2019 04:57
> What do you call the shaqla vetarya of the gemara if not Rav and Rav
> Yehudah's (as founders of Sura & Pumpedisa, respectively) style(s)
> of lomdus?

Not sure of your point. My point was exactly that lomdus is implicit in
classic ameilus batorah. The shakla v'tarya of the gemara leaves so much
work for us to fill in that we can't be sure what the shakla v'tarya
of a beis midrash in the amoraic period sounded like in practice, what
conceptual tools they used etc. The written record we have just doesn't
give us information to do more than work out our own approach to the
material. The closest we have is probably the small number of mishnayos
scattered through shas which give a direct recording of a conversation in
one place and time, and which differ in style from any discussion in the
gemara. Eg mishna in brachas 'dayo lavo min ha din lihiot ka'nidon'. I
think they all involve comparing and contrasting agreed cases to derive
a din for the case under machlokes.

> Boston, a lot more often than the RCA. Think how much more often people
> had questions about their kitchens or taharas hamishpachah compared to
> the number of questions RCA faced. And for individual RCA rabbanim,
> RYBS often (usually?) helped them reach their own pesaq than impose his
> own pesaq on the moreh de'asra.'

> But I think he did show signs of Briskness. How many other posqim
> (beyond Brisk's influence) would tell balebatim to observe yahrzeit in
> both Adars? And as for ignoring mimeticism.... Sitting for Havdalah is
> one example that really caught on in some YU circles.

I was thinking of his role as posek for the RCA as a whole rather than
for individual rabbonim. Those decisions are recorded. I have no idea how
many Boston baaleibatim asked routine shailos in yoreh deah or otherwise
in the 60s and 70s. Nor how how he paskened for them.

Re Yahrzeits, keeping it in both Adars is a Maharil brought by Rama,
so not a Brisk thing.

In any case, point was being a Brisker lamdan doesn't have to limit
decisiveness in pask.

Ben