Many years ago I was a student in Shor Yoshuv studying under Rav Freifeld. The highpoint of each week was his drasha Shabbos morning after kiddush. One Shabbos he talked about this gemora in Shabbos which I had recently learned with my chavrusa and according to my understanding he was clearly mistaken, I went to him when he finished and commented that I thought he had misunderstood the gemora, His response was not defensive or even how dare I question him from my clearly inferior understanding. He instead said, What to you expect when I haven't looked at the gemora in 25 years
What is your question?
ReplyDeleteIs it about the content of the Gemora?
Is it about an overall definition of a gadol?
Is about humility and intellectual honesty?
I don't know much about Rav Freifeld. Do talmidim generally see their Rosh yeshivas as Gaonim?
There are different qualities of a talmid chacham
It can be outstanding knowledge and learning.
The ability to draw out knowledge and apply to halacha.
It used to be chiddushim too but now that is suspect.
Could be recognition by peers.
A great tzaddik.
Rav Hershel shachter mentioned a letter of the chazon ish
Where he says the difficult part of a psak is to find which part of the shulchan aruch defines the question or problem in case.