Q&A: Do they say each time whatever is convenient?
Do they say each time whatever is convenient?
Question
When do rabbis say, “the view of householders is the opposite of the Torah’s view,” and when do they say, “the voice of the multitude is like the voice of the Almighty”? Is it each time whatever is worthwhile for them and suits them? Or is there a real rule?
Answer
There is no real rule, but it’s not true that it depends on whether it is worthwhile or convenient. It depends on whether the crowd is right or not. There are situations in which you see that the whole crowd supports something that seems to you clearly mistaken, and then you express this through “the view of householders” (whose source is in the Sma, sec. 3). What you mean is that even if this is the opinion of many people, no weight should be attached to it.
If you truly do not know what the truth is, then there will be those who say that the opinion of many people carries weight (the wisdom of crowds). I am not inclined to think so, unless we are dealing with unreasoned opinions (raw intuition).
Something like this appears in the Jerusalem Talmud: “If you do not know, O fairest among women, go forth in the footsteps of the flock” — if the Jewish law is shaky in your hands, follow the custom. But if the Jewish law is not shaky in your hands, then throw the custom in the trash and say: the view of householders.