<div dir="ltr"><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Sat, Aug 2, 2008 at 4:45 PM, Moshe Feldman <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:moshe.feldman@gmail.com">moshe.feldman@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
Article in Yeshurun by R. Eitan Henkin at p. 159: both R. Y. E. Henkin<br>
(as reported by many of this talmidim as well as his grandson) and R.<br>
Moshe Feinstein (as reported R. Dovid Cohen of Gevul Yaavetz; see also<br>
Or Hamizrach, year 31, choveres 1, p. 324) said that where there is a<br>
machlokes of AhS and MB, the AhS should be followed. R. Henkin<br>
considered AhS "the most important of the later poskim."<br>
<br>
Shavua tov.<br>
Moshe<br>
</blockquote></div><br>Rabbi Harvey Senter is a Talmid of RYBS and the founder of Kof-K. He quoted the Rav who quoted his grandfather that the AhS wast"<i>The</i> poseik hador"<br><br>In Lita, the legacy of Poskie hador goes roughly as follows:<br>
<ol><li>R. Yitchok Elchanan Spektor [Kovno]</li><li>Aruch Hshulchan [Nevardok]</li><li>R. Hayyim Ozer [Vilna]</li></ol> There were perhaps greater lamdanim. R. Hayyim Brisker probably was deemd a bigger illuy than any of the above, but I am not familiar with his Teshuvos as being widely accepted [unlike his father th4e Beis Halevy.]<br>
<br>The MB no doubt as a Sefer was weidly promoted by Roshei Yeshiva - perhaps for many reasons. This is not the first time that a Sefer that has been promoted mostly as a superior textbook has superceded perhaps superior "poskim."<br>
<br>Illlustration: The Maharam miRothenburg commisioned the authorship of Hahgahos Maimopniyyos on the Mishneh Torah because of the tremendosue value of the Sefer as a textbook. In no way was the Maharm going to chnage his PSAK based upon the Mishneh Torah, it was simply in defernce to the superiority of the composition. And that is exactly WHY Hagahos Maimoniyyos was commisioned, to accomodate LEARNING the Mishnh Torah w/o scarificng Ashkenazic practice. Anyone can connect the dots to other Seforim similarly composed.<br>
<br>FWIW, Asie from Rabbi Senter's testimony, the few surviving Litvisher Rabbonim whom I met in my youth were unifromly devotees of the AhS. And from most Semicha Students I have talked to, MOST have confirmed that the AhS teaches a DERECH in Psak - like R. Haayyim Brisker teaches a Derech in learning. <br>
<br>I have not met anyone who has told me that the MB has taught them a Derech in learning, but they have learned it for beik'us and for Halachic Principles. As a limud it is immensely popular.<br><br>To me it is like Rashi and Gmara. If you are first sitting dow nto learn Gmara learn it with Rashi. If you are interested in getting the PSAK from a daf, you will probahbly consult Tosafos, Rif, Rosh, Ran etc. Similarly if you are sitting down to learn Orach Hayyyim perhaps,the MB is the most Rashi like. But if you want an in depth view, then I would say see<br>
BY, Taz, MGA, AhS, etc. [I also would say the Levush is the most under-rated of all of the above] And of all the above the BY and the AhS will most likely give you a derech in p'sak.<br><br>To reiterate, when I was once learning Kitzur SA a fellow remarked: "Hassidim learn Kitzur"<br>
I replied: "you mean they PASKEN like Kitzur?"<br>"No, they jsut LEARN it"<br>IOW it is the text of choice.<br><br>The BY paskensare MORE like the Rambam than he does like the Tur but he built his magnum opus around the Tur instead. And in his hkadamah he explains why.<br>
<br>I think this is part of the nature of popular mis-conceptions...<br>That said, certainly one can be SOMEICH on the MB. But I could probably say the same for the Kaf haHayyim.<br><br>-- <br>Kol Tuv / Best Regards,<br>RabbiRichWolpoe@Gmail.com<br>
see: <a href="http://nishmablog.blogspot.com/">http://nishmablog.blogspot.com/</a><br>
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