[Avodah] "Chazal" being of more than one mind

[Micha Berger]

On Wed, Mar 22, 2023 at 06:38:14AM +0200, Joel Rich via Avodah wrote:
> Comment to a magid shiur:
> I've often said what you said at the beginning about "Chazal" being
> of more than one mind on an issue (especially hashkafically), but that
> generally seems to be the absolutely the last answer anybody wants to
> give. Have you seen any sources discussing this in any detail?

REED in particular had the position that there never were major
machloqesin in hashkafah.

To the extent that leshitaso, the Besh"t and the Gra agreed about what
tzimtzum is. And that their machloqes boiled down to how we should relate
to the idea and thus what to teach. This position was repeated to RMMS,
either not besheim omero or the LR didn't realize the beqi'us of the
mashgiach in Gateshead in such matters. And the LR responded by poo-pooing
the suggestion and writing this clear description of the various shitos
about tzimtzum:
https://chabadlibrary.org/books/admur/ig/1/11.htm

(Which I think slightly distorts the Gra's position by casting it in
Chabad's terms, like Ein Sof vs Or Ein Sof, instead of his own terms
of Borei and Retzon haBorei, and the connotations he gives each. It is
closer to Rationalist to say that to make a world of Teva and Bechira
Chofshi, Hashem withdrew His Will, than to talk about metaphoric Light.)

I am also reminded of the Leshem's principle that he metaphysics in
the Moreh and early chapters of Yesodei haTorah is describing the same
reality that Qabbalah does, and they only differ in metaphor. So, one
speaks about an Or entering olamos, each one more coarse than the one
before, until you get to this physical one. The oher speaks of Yedi'ah
-- Hashem's, down the various levels of Mal'akhim, each thinking the
one below it into existence, until you get to the celestial spheres and
earth. To the Leshem, those are just different models, not conflicting
ideas about the reality.

My own pet peeve is when a speaker says "Chazal", "the posqim hold",
"the rishonim say", "it is written in the heiliger sefarim", "the
baalei mussar say". Often it hides a machloqes, or presents common
"knowledge" that doesn't have a primary source, etc...

Chodesh Tov!
Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger                 The thought of happiness that comes from outside
http://www.aishdas.org/asp   the person, brings him sadness. But realizing
Author: Widen Your Tent      the value of one's will and the freedom brought
- https://amzn.to/2JRxnDF    by uplifting its, brings great joy. - R' Kook