Q&A: Autonomous Halakhic Ruling
Autonomous Halakhic Ruling
Question
Since the Rabbi holds that he is qualified to rule for himself (I think), does the Rabbi actually issue halakhic rulings for himself autonomously on questions involving serious prohibitions, like an eruv, glatt meat, the end of the Sabbath according to Rabbeinu Tam, and so on?
(That question occurred to me because I saw that when someone asked you about an eruv, you said that we rely on the lenient opinions because there is no choice, and you referred them to Peninei Halakha. That was a bit puzzling to me, because Rabbi Melamed rules in exactly the opposite way from you.)
Answer
First, I do not see why these topics are more weighty than others. In principle I decide my own approach, but I certainly make use of halakhic decisors and various writings. I am not fully at home in every topic / passage, and in some of them I have not studied them and am not sufficiently expert to decide on my own. In a large number of cases, the dilemma is not all that difficult, because the stringent solution is easy and simple. Of course custom also carries weight, even if it is not mandatory.
These topics are more weighty than others simply because, on the one hand, they involve serious prohibitions, and on the other hand, the average person encounters them very frequently—every Sabbath, or every time he wants to eat meat—and is taking the risk anew each time. With all due respect for insights about spiritual solipsism (which is certainly important and interesting in its own right), I would have thought that risking desecrating the Sabbath *every Sabbath* is worth investing some time in studying the topic, no?
Custom carries weight in the sense that you do not have to change if the majority is against you even if you have not examined the topic, but from what I understood, many times it is nevertheless recommended in order to avoid serious transgressions. After all, an individual who relies on a religious court is liable; all the more so an individual who relies on his forefathers from the lands of Shum.