Authority of Gedolim II - Because they are accepted - not because of their knowledge

I asserted in my previous post that being a gadol is the result of being accepted and once accepted the gadol's authority is not from his sources or his reasoning but his authority transcends them because he is a gadol. The New York Times once printed the following statement from Rav Moshe Feinstein as to how he became the posek hador. "People came and asked me questions and they liked what I said and it was accepted and then more people come and eventually I became widely accepted as a posek." It is important to note that when Rav Moshe was buried in Israel - and had the largest funeral up till that time - he was viewed by most religious Israelis as a tzadik and not as posek hador. On the other hand Rav Moshe was not automatically accepted in whatever he said. I still recall the ads in the Jewish Press begging people to come to the MTJ dinner to support Rav Moshe's yeshiva. "He is there when you need him - so be there when he needs you." It wasn't too successful. The absence of gedolim in MO circle's is not because they don't have high level talmidei chachomim - but because the MO rabbis view themselves as authorities based on texts and sevora - not acceptance. The local rabbi - not the transcendent authority - is what is important to them. The MO are not looking for transcendent authorities - and thus they don't have them. [Not because the "narrow minded" Chareidim reject them.] It is similar to a super star in any field. They are not necessarily the most talented in the absolute sense - but they are the ones accepted as super stars. They are the charismatics as Max Weber defines - that are perceived and accepted as the embodiment of the system - at least for some issues. Rav Soloveitchik was arguably the greatest Torah genius of the 20th century - but the MO were not interested in submitting themselves to him and accepting his judgments - his "Daas Torah". Instead they relied on their local rabbi or on themselves. Rabbi Rakkefet told me that Rav Solveitchik encouraged this independent thinking - because Rav Soloveitchik viewed that the lack of independent thinking among European Jews was a major factor in the great destruction of the Holocaust. As a perhaps over simplistic but valid generalization: amongst the MO all those who have semicha are viewed as equal authorities. Three examples. Rav Moshe Feinstein discussed how a marriage could be annulled because of erroneous assumptions on the part of the couple about each other. Rabbi Rackman claims he is annulling marriages based on Rav Moshe's precedent. His ruling are widely rejected - "because he is not Rav Moshe." Similarly Rabbi Riskin has made ruling based on Rav Moshe's psakim - which have not been accepted "because he is not Rav Moshe." A certain rav was told by Rav Moshe that certain couples did not need a divorce because Rav Moshe held their marriage was not valid. The children of these couples after remarriage were not considered mamzerim by Rav Eliashiv and Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach - even though they disagreed with Rav Moshe's servora - but because they accepted the authority of Rav Moshe. After Rav Moshe was niftar this rav went to Rav Eliashiv had told him that he had another case - exactly the same as Rav Moshe had said did not need a divorce. Rav Eliashiv told him he did not agree with the logic of Rav Moshe's psak and thus would declare the children mamzerim - if this rav followed the precedent he had heard from Rav Moshe. Rav Eliashiv told him to find a rav comparable in stature to Rav Moshe and then he would accept the psak that the children were not mamzerim. Thus it was Rav Moshe's accepted stature - not his logic or sources - which were authoritative. This despite that Rav Moshe Feinstein clearly states in the introduction to the Igros Moshe that his authority comes from the acceptance of his reasoning. A clear precedent for the above is BM 59b. R' Eliezar HaGadol was clearly the superior talmid chachom of his generation and he was certified by Heaven which announced that the halacha was like him in all places. -Yet his rulings were completely rejected by his peers and he was placed in cherem. Because the authority of a gadol depends upon acceptance - not knowledge of Torah. Bava Metzia (59b): [Soncino translation] this was the oven of ‘Aknai.1 Why [the oven of] ‘Aknai? — Said Rab Judah in Samuel's name: [It means] that they encompassed it with arguments2 as a snake, and proved it unclean. It has been taught: On that day R. Eliezer brought forward every imaginable argument ,3 but they did not accept them. Said he to them: ‘If the halachah agrees with me, let this carob-tree prove it!’ Thereupon the carob-tree was torn a hundred cubits out of its place — others affirm, four hundred cubits. ‘No proof can be brought from a carob-tree,’ they retorted. Again he said to them: ‘If the halachah agrees with me, let the stream of water prove it!’ Whereupon the stream of water flowed backwards — ‘No proof can be brought from a stream of water,’ they rejoined. Again he urged: ‘If the halachah agrees with me, let the walls of the schoolhouse prove it,’ whereupon the walls inclined to fall. But R. Joshua rebuked them, saying: ‘When scholars are engaged in a halachic dispute, what have ye to interfere?’ Hence they did not fall, in honour of R. Joshua, nor did they resume the upright, in honour of R. Eliezer; and they are still standing thus inclined. Again he said to them: ‘If the halachah agrees with me, let it be proved from Heaven!’ Whereupon a Heavenly Voice cried out: ‘Why do ye dispute with R. Eliezer, seeing that in all matters the halachah agrees with him!’ But R. Joshua arose and exclaimed: ‘It is not in heaven.’4 What did he mean by this? — Said R. Jeremiah: That the Torah had already been given at Mount Sinai; we pay no attention to a Heavenly Voice, because Thou hast long since written in the Torah at Mount Sinai, After the majority must one incline.5 R. Nathan met Elijah6 and asked him: What did the Holy One, Blessed be He, do in that hour? — He laughed [with joy], he replied, saying, ‘My sons have defeated Me, My sons have defeated Me.’