Q&A: On Innovation, Conservatism, and Tradition, Lesson 1
On Innovation, Conservatism, and Tradition, Lesson 1
Question
Honorable Rabbi, hello,
I listened to the Rabbi’s latest lesson on innovation, conservatism, and tradition, lesson 1.
A. I greatly enjoy the Rabbi’s lessons. B. The Rabbi said in the name of the Chazon Ish that a person has to decide for himself. Where in the Chazon Ish is this found?
Answer
These are things I heard orally, and they are among the well-known positions attributed to him (at least in the branch of Rabbi Gedaliah Nadel, who does not distort the Chazon Ish’s words and portray him in his own image). But they are also written by him (that a person’s intellect is the angel that accompanies him, and that he should consult it). I recall such statements in Yoreh De’ah, sections 3 and 150. I hope I’m not mistaken.
Discussion on Answer
Honorable Rabbi, hello,
Because of an article in Mishpacha magazine (modern Haredi), I read what appears to be the opposite of what the Rabbi said regarding the Chazon Ish, and I quote as follows: “The greatness of my love for you, my dear one, from long ago, does not allow me to stand by… The approach of dividing the Torah into different parts—guidance in matters of prohibition and permission as one part, and guidance in the marketplace of life as a second part—so that one is submissive to the guidance of the sages of the generation in the first part, while leaving them to seek their own choice in the second part, is the old approach of the sectarians in the decline of Judaism in Ashkenaz, who led the Jewish people astray until they assimilated among the gentiles and no remnant remained.”
I myself remember this letter in one of the collections, and because of Mishpacha I was reminded of it.
So it seems that the Chazon Ish held that everything is in the hands of the sages of the generation.
That is known. What I cited in his name is instruction for a Torah scholar, whereas here he is writing to ordinary laypeople.
What is the definition of a Torah scholar? Is it connected to whether a person works or only studies?????
It has nothing to do with whether he works or studies. There are working Torah scholars, and there are ignoramuses who study all day. We’re talking about a person who is qualified to rule for himself. See my article on autonomy and authority in Jewish law.
A. Mishpacha says that the letter was written to Rabbi Kalman Kahana of Mapai, who seemingly was a Torah-observant Jew, and the Chazon Ish himself even wrote that he should study because that was what suited him best.
B. Does the Rabbi think like the Chazon Ish that in every matter one should consult rabbis in all areas of life, if he is an ordinary layperson
Where is the article?????
You can search for it on the site in the Google search box below.
And besides, throughout all his writings you can clearly see that he himself acted this way. He interpreted the Talmud and the medieval authorities according to his own understanding, and if the accepted interpretation didn’t seem right to him, he preferred his own interpretation…