The Ehrman Challenge

Why do we have to listen to Gedolim, people wonder, maybe they are wrong?? We don't believe that a Gadol is infallible, only Hashem is infallible [not even, li-havdil, the Pope is infallible, as many goyim believe. If he was so perfect he would have found a shidduch already. Many women would want to be married to perfection...].


The answer is...... [drumroll]


Maybe they ARE wrong. BUT, [a big "but"], it doesn't matter. If we disregard the rulings of Gedolei Yisrael [meaning those who are recognized by Klal Yisrael as Gedolei Torah], then our Torah will splinter into millions of Torahs. Everybody will decide every question for his or her self. Like much of what is already happening in newspapers and blogs where everybody has an equally valid opinion. So you open up the Jewish Press and discover on the letters to the editor page, that a dentist from Englewood has taken upon himself to argue with Gedolei Yisrael and decide major questions for Klal Yisrael. How very very dangerous. Doc, you know root canals and crowns! Don't cross the lines of your expertise. Today it is considered acceptable that my bobbe, your bobbe, and four of their yente friends can have uneducated opinions that are just as valid as the viewpoints of Rav Moshe Feinstein and Rav Ovadiah Yosef ztz"l.


So even if the Gedolim are wrong it doesn't matter very much. The most important thing is that the Torah retains its integrity and shleimus. The very sad reality is that people [often with great impudence] cavalierly disagree with the Gedolim and have the impression that the Torah is like silly putty in our hands and after having read a tweet about a certain issue the person now can decide for himself what the ratzon HaTorah is.


Chazal already said that we should listen to the Sanhedrin אפילו יאמרו לך על ימין שהוא שמאל ועל שמאל שהוא ימין - Even if they tell you that right is left and that left is right. Even when it is so obvious that they erred.


That being said we shouldn't be so quick to decide that they are mistaken. They have special siyata di-shamaya as leaders of the Jewish nation and also have ingested tens of thousands of hours of the most profound and G-dly wisdom in existence. They only became Gedolim because they proved that in a nation of millions of people, many of them highly intelligent and educated, they are head and shoulders above the rest.


There is a certain arrogance in saying that they are wrong with so little knowledge and depth. When someone disagrees with the Chazon Ish, I give him the "Ehrman Challenge". Take a pen and paper write fifteen volumes on the level of the Sifrei Chazon Ish [including lots and lots of Zraim, Kodshim and Tahoros] and then argue. The truth is that almost everybody who argues with the Chazon Ish on major issues wouldn't even be able to read and understand his sfarim.


Of course one may ask and try to understand with his or her limited intellectual faculties. But that is a far cry from asserting that they are just wrong and don't understand the Torah as well as I do.


Am I wrong???


I await your responses....