Q&A: On What Basis Did the Vilna Gaon Dare to Change Accepted Customs?
Originally published:
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On What Basis Did the Vilna Gaon Dare to Change Accepted Customs?
Question
Hello Rabbi,
?
Thanks in advance, Benjamin
Answer
You are conflating a decisional custom with an ordinary custom. Each example has to be discussed separately. When there is a decisional custom, there is no problem at all changing it when one thinks differently. Custom is meant for a situation in which I do not know how to rule. If I do know, then the custom has no significance.
Discussion on Answer
Absolutely not. Where did you get that from? I oppose top-down social engineering. That contradicts the very essence of custom. Custom develops from below in its own internal dynamics and does not need any chief rabbi to engineer it.
I understand that the Rabbi agrees with Rabbi Goren’s approach regarding a uniform prayer rite and unifying the customs of the communities of the Jewish people?