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<p class="quote" dir="ltr"
style="text-align: justify; direction: ltr; unicode-bidi: embed;"><b><font
face="Arial Narrow" size="2"><span
style="font-size: 10pt; font-weight: bold;">Leshem</span></font></b><span
class="MsoFootnoteReference"><sup><span style=""><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><!--[endif]--></span></sup></span><b><span
style="font-weight: bold;">(2:4:19): </span></b><span style="">The
critical point is that every Jew is
obligated to belief with perfect faith that all which is found in the
words of
our Sages – both in halacha, Talmudic agada and medrashim – are in
their
entirety the words of the living G‑d. That is because everything that
they say
is with ruach hakodesh (Sanhedrin 48b). This includes even that whch
isn’t
relevant to halacha and deed…Also all their decrees and statutes are
not the
product of human intellect at all but rather are the result of ruach
hakodesh
in which G‑d has expressed Himself through them. This is the great
sound that
doesn’t end (Devarim 5:19) of the giving of the Torah at Sinai and it
expresses
itself in the Oral Torah…. Thus the Sages are just like messengers in
what they
say…. This is why the Bal Halachos Gedolos includes the Rabbinic
mitzvos with
the Torah mitzvos since all of them were given by G‑d (Chagiga 3b)…We
can
conclude from all this that anyone who tries to analzye the words of
the Sages
in order to establish the nature of their truth places himself in great
danger.
That is because man’s intellect can not properly comprehend this matter
and
thus a person can come to heresy from the endeavor. This is what
Koheles(7:16)
states: Don’t make yourself too wise<span style=""> </span>-
why destroy yourself?<span style=""> </span>A person who gets
involved in this matter will find it very difficult to resist following
his
human understanding. He will end up going back and forth between the
view of
the Torah and that of his own understanding…. The righteous person
lives by his
faith because that is the foundation of the entire Torah….<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="quote" dir="ltr"
style="text-align: justify; direction: ltr; unicode-bidi: embed;"><font
face="Arial Narrow" size="2"><span
style="font-size: 10pt; font-weight: bold;">Bava
Basra (12a):</span></font><span style=""> R. Abdimi from Haifa said:
Since the day
when the Temple was destroyed, prophecy has been taken from the
prophets and
given to the wise. Is then a wise man not also a prophet?12 — What he
meant was
this: Although it has been taken from the prophets, it has not been
taken from
the wise. Amemar said: A wise man is even superior to a prophet, as it
says,
And a prophet has a heart of wisdom.13 Who is compared with whom? Is
not the
smaller compared with the greater?14 Abaye said: The proof [that
prophecy has
not been taken from the wise] is that a great man makes a statement,
and the
same is then reported in the name of another great man.15 Said Raba:
What is
there strange in this? Perhaps both were born under one star.16 No,
said Raba;
the proof is this, that a great man makes a statement and then the same
is
reported in the name of R. Akiba b. Joseph.1 Said R. Ashi: What is
there
strange in this? perhaps in this matter he was born under the same
star. No,
said R. Ashi; the proof is that a great man makes a statement and then
it is
found that the same rule was a halachah communicated to Moses at Mount
Sinai.
But perhaps the wise man was no better than a blind man groping his way
through
a window?2 — And does he not give reasons [for his opinions]?3<br>
</span></p>
<p class="quote" dir="ltr"
style="text-align: justify; direction: ltr; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span
style="">See <b>Ramban and Chasam Sofer </b>on this gemora <br>
</span></p>
<p class="quote" dir="ltr"
style="text-align: justify; direction: ltr; unicode-bidi: embed;"><b><span
style="">Chazon Ish's Letters (1:15):</span></b><font
face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span
style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">It is
at the roots of </span></font><!--[if supportFields]><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"MS Mincho";mso-ansi-language:
EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:HE'><span style='mso-element:
field-begin'></span></span><font size=3><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;mso-ascii-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman";mso-hansi-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:
"Arial Narrow";mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:
HE'><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>XE "Chazon Ish:Prophetic
power—source of Sages" </span></font></font><![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><font
size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"MS Mincho";
mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fare
ast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:HE'><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span></span></font><![endif]--><font
face="Times New Roman" size="3"><font size="3"><span
style="font-size: 12pt;">our
faith</span></font></font><!--[if supportFields]><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"MS Mincho";mso-ansi-language:
EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:HE'><span style='mso-element:
field-begin'></span></span><font size=3><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;mso-ascii-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman";mso-hansi-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:
"Arial Narrow";mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:
HE'> XE "Sages:Prophetic power—source" </span></font></font><![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><font
size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"MS Mincho";
mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:HE'><span
style='mso
-element:field-end'></span></span></font><![endif]--><font
face="Times New Roman" size="3"><font size="3"><span
style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style=""> </span>that all that is said
in the gemora whether
it is in the Mishna or gemora whether it is halacha or agada—all these
things
were revealed to us through the medium of prophetic power<br>
</span></font></font></p>
<p class="quote" dir="ltr"
style="text-align: justify; direction: ltr; unicode-bidi: embed;"><b><font
face="Times New Roman" size="3"><font size="3"><span
style="font-size: 12pt;">Chazaon Ish's Letter (2:24): </span></font></font></b><font
face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span
style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
truth is that the</span></font><!--[if supportFields]><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"MS Mincho";mso-ansi-language:
EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:HE'><span style='mso-element:
field-begin'></span></span><font size=3><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;mso-ascii-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman";mso-hansi-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:
"Arial Narrow";mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:
HE'> XE "Chazon Ish:Authority from decline of generations" </span></font></font><![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><font
size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"MS Mincho";
mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-lang
uage:HE'><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span></span></font><![endif]--><font
face="Times New Roman" size="3"><font size="3"><span
style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style=""> </span>generation after the
Mishna witnessed a
decline in stature relative to the Tannaim. The new generation knew for
certain
that the truth was always with the Tannaim. Once they knew the truth of
the
matter that it was impossible for them to comprehend something that had
not
been understood by one of the Tannaim—it was no longer possible to
disagree
directly with the Tannaim on their own authority. Therefore, they only
taught
what they understood to be the teachings of the Tannaim. Similarly with
the
close of the Talmud, the words of an amora—who was unaware of the
teaching on
that matter of a tanna—were not null. The only exception being Rav who
because
of his greatness his words were not null. All their conclusions were
reached
with Divine guidance and ruach hakodesh which manifested itself. </span></font></font></p>
<p class="quote" dir="ltr"
style="text-align: justify; direction: ltr; unicode-bidi: embed;"><b><font
face="Times New Roman" size="3"><font size="3"><span
style="font-size: 12pt;">Sanhedrin (11a):</span></font></font></b><font
face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span
style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>With
</b>the death of the last prophets—Chagai, Zechariah and Malachi—ruach
hakodesh
left the Jews. Nevertheless, they still were able to utilize Bas Kol<br>
</span></font></p>
<p class="quote" dir="ltr"
style="text-align: justify; direction: ltr; unicode-bidi: embed;"><font
face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span
style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>Chasam
Sofer (1:208):</b><br>
</span></font></p>
<p class="quote" dir="ltr"
style="text-align: justify; direction: ltr; unicode-bidi: embed;"><b>Meshech
Chochma (Vayikra 26:44):</b><br>
</p>
<p class="quote" dir="ltr"
style="text-align: justify; direction: ltr; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br>
<br>
<span style=""><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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style="text-align: justify; direction: ltr; unicode-bidi: embed;"><font
face="Arial Narrow" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" dir="ltr"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span
style="font-size: 12pt;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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