Q&A: Do Not Deviate
Do Not Deviate
Question
Hello Michi,
1. Is there value in choosing a rabbi for yourself?
2. If so, are you obligated to listen to him even if it doesn’t seem right to you (that is, is there an issue here of “do not deviate”)?
Answer
There definitely is value in it. There is no obligation to listen to him. People speak about an obligation to listen to a rabbi whom you asked a halakhic question, and even there I’m not at all sure that there is an obligation to obey. It’s better to say in advance that you’re only coming to consult, and then there’s no problem at all.
Certainly there is no “do not deviate” with respect to any rabbi or any institution nowadays. That was said only about the Sanhedrin (aside from the puzzling view of Sefer HaChinukh).
Discussion on Answer
Because there is no logic and no source at all for granting the authority of “do not deviate” to a body that was never appointed and has no official standing. Who counts as a rabbi for this purpose? Am I allowed not to recognize him as a rabbi? Why not? And in the verses themselves it is quite clear that this is speaking about the Sanhedrin. And so too in the Talmudic passages.
Bless you!
Could the Rabbi explain in more detail why the view of Sefer HaChinukh is so puzzling, aside from the fact that it is a lone opinion?
Thank you.