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<DIV>In Avodah Digest, Vol 26, Issue 124 dated 6/27/2009 <FONT
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>Michael
Makovi <A href="mailto:mikewinddale@gmail.com">mikewinddale@gmail.com</A>
wrote:</FONT></DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial
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<DIV><BR>>>Professor Shapiro, ibid., does note at length that Rabbi
Haim<BR>Soloveitchik was reticent to pasken, directing people to the dayan
of<BR>Volozhin for practical questions. Rabbi Haim was sure that
his<BR>hiddushim were true and correct, but he couldn't bring himself
to<BR>practically rule that way, against the SA in favor of a novel ruling<BR>of
the Rambam's or a novel reading of the Gemara. Faced with the<BR>conflict, he
simply chose not to pasken anything.<BR><BR>So if Rabbi Haim was a
post-modernist deconstructionist, then rest<BR>easy: he was NOT a
poseiq.<BR><BR>Personally, this makes my stomach turn, with all due respect to
Rabbi<BR>Haim. I cannot imagine the value of learning that does not lead
to<BR>practical halakhah. </DIV>
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<DIV>....My justification of academic study of Torah is simple: if it
is<BR>objectively true, then surely, it must have an effect on
halakhah...<< </DIV>
<DIV><BR>Michael Makovi</DIV>
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<DIV>>>>><BR>Allow me to put your churning stomach to rest.
The contradiction or dichotomy that so troubles you is more apparent than real,
between learning for its own sake and learning for the sake of practical
application. "Al menas lilmod" and "al menas la'asos" -- it's like the
difference between pure science and applied science. A scientist working
in a lab, doing pure research, might not be a medical doctor and might not
have any desire to treat patients, but his scientific findings are
nevertheless valuable, and are available to the medical field to be
used over time, as circumstances warrant.</DIV>
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<DIV><FONT lang=0 face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"
PTSIZE="10"><B>--Toby
Katz<BR>==========<BR><BR><BR><BR>_____________________</B></FONT></DIV></DIV></FONT></FONT><DIV CLASS="aol_ad_footer" ID="f2f5822ff5e20ae5eba4898faaa0a7a3"><br/><font style="color:black;font:normal 10pt arial,san-serif;"> <hr style="margin-top:10px"/><B>An Excellent Credit Score is 750. <A HREF=http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100126575x1222377077x1201454398/aol?redir=http://www.freecreditreport.com/pm/default.aspx?sc=668072%26hmpgID=62%26bcd=JulyExcfooterNO62>See Yours in Just 2 Easy Steps!</A></B></font></DIV></BODY></HTML>