Therefore, when today’s rabbinic authorities apply the Torah’s teachings in innovative ways, we cannot try to live in the past, complaining that the leadership of previous generations did not see the need for such innovations. On the contrary: only by reading the Torah through the eyes of our “Joshua” – today’s Moses – can we be certain that the Torah will provide us with the inspiration to fulfill our Divine mission and live our lives to the fullest.1
Chabad would claim that there is a "Moshe Rabbeinu" in each generation, and that their rebbe is that man.
ReplyDeleteNot sure that is true, there are many generations in the Tanakh without an outright leader who is a Navi and Tzaddik. Neviim, were often peripheral to the King , and sometimes were murdered by the Kings. In those days, Neviim were not national leaders, but spiritual leaders, - the most unique being Eliyahu.
Unfortuanately the people did not follow the Neviim, and Kings dried up by the end of the 1st Temple.
"We cannot try to live in the past" is a criticism. Of course, we know exactly when Chabad Chasidus appeared and it was an innovation so following it is also "We cannot live in the past"
ReplyDeleteYes, monotheism is so unfashionable nowadays.
ReplyDelete“How to Seek Inspiration in the Torah” I quote Eduyyot Mishnah 6:
ReplyDeleteR. Judah said, If so, why למה do they put on record the view of the individual against [that of] the majority to no purpose [Seeing that it was a foregone conclusion that it would be rejected] [It is recorded so] that if a man shall say, I hold such a tradition, another may reply to him, Thou hast [but] heard [it] as the view of so-and-so [viz., as he was the only one that persisted in that view against that of others the ruling accepted is that of the majority].
משנה מסכת עדויות פרק א משנה ו
אמר רבי יהודה אם כן למה מזכירין דברי היחיד בין המרובין לבטלה שאם יאמר האדם כך אני מקובל יאמר לו כדברי איש פלוני שמעת:
My theory. Mishnah 6 in Eduyyot allows a later court to make a ruling following the rejected opinion in an earlier court of greater number and greater wisdom---but must state that the later court is following a minority opinion.
רמב"ם על משנה מסכת עדויות פרק א משנה ו
לפי שכבר קדם הדבר בתועלת הזכרת דברי היחיד בין המרובין והוא שאפשר שיפסוק בית דין כדעת אותו היחיד אמר ר' יהודה אם כן מה טעם מזכירין דברי היחיד הדחוים אשר לא עשה בית דין על פיו כלל, ואמר כי טעם הזכרת דבר זה לפי שאם שמע אדם אותה הסברא ויחשוב שהיא לדברי הכל, ויראה כי המעשה בהפכו ויסתפק בדבר, לפיכך נודיע לו שהסברא הזו ששמע היא דעת יחיד וכבר נדחית.
According to the Rambam one must always be clear what is the majority opinion. That’s all. If someone wants to follow a rejected minority opinion, he has something to lean on. Maybe a later court, greater in number and in wisdom will go back to that rejected opinion.