How To Have Charm

One of my most favorite chasidic ideaas is that of "Bitul". Bitul is when a person has a Rebbi and nullifies himself before his Rebbi. He appreciates the fact that his knowledge of Torah, his hasagos in Avodas Hashem, his tefilla, his level of kedusha etc. etc. are all far below the level of his Rebbi. By being mevatel himself, he comes closer to his Rebbi [because he is less of a "יש"] and thus comes closer to those qualities that his Rebbi possesses.

In our generation it is hard to find bittul. The "Post-Modern" attitude encourages everybody to maintain their [false] sense of importance and capability.

What is worse is that everyone and his aunt has an opinion about everything. At the Shabbos table issues come up and everybody expresses their perspective on the matter. How often do we hear a person say "How can I have an opinion on a matter that is debated by people who have spent 5-6-7-8-9 decades immersed day and night in the study of Torah. All I know is the little I learned in day school and the little more that I learned in my year in Israel when I wasn't hanging out on Ben Yehuda or Emek."

But that is the truth. Matters which are complex and require a deep understanding of the subject at hand and a general approach to learning that is acquired after tens of thousands of hours of learning cannot be haphazardly decided by every Tom, Dick and Harry. It hurts me to see and hear so much ignorance spewed by people who think they understand but don't. [I have only spent the last 25 years learning so I am also just at the beginning]. This includes people with smicha who think that just because they passed a few tests on a small prtion of the shulchan aruch they are qualified to have a valid opinion on any matter.

Sometimes people write books and articles on topics that they are not at all qualified to write about. It is presented not just a "suggestion" that should be considered by those of greater caliber but as an opinion that carries as much weight as anyone else's. Scary and sad.

נח מצא חן בעיני השם - Noach found "charm" in the eyes of Hashem. What gave Noach חן? The pasuk says ולענוים יתן חן - Humility gives a person חן. The world would be so much more beautiful if people would be more humble. Not every blogger is a posek. As a matter of fact - I am not aware of any blogger who would qualify as a posek. But bloggers have opinions on halachic matters. No blogger is an expert on Jewish philosophy, having learned through the sfarim Emunos Vi-deyos, Kuzari, Moreh Nevuchim, Sefer Ha-ikarim, Maharal etc. etc. But ohhhhhh do they have opinions on philosophical and theological matters.

What I said about bloggers applies to journalists as well. They write superficial articles on religious matters and the unknowledgable reader thinks that the facts are being accurately presented. It can't be. Journalists are far from being talmidei chachomim [with rare exceptions]. I was recently sent an article from a newspaper where the author dealt with the issue of women dancing with a sefer Torah. If implemented, this would constitute a great change from what has been done since the giving of the Torah 3000 years ago. Deciding such an issue in favor of a revolutionary change, requires the broad shoulders of a true gadol bi-yisrael. But this journalist [a very nice man - I know him], has the answer. It is OK for every community to decide what is best for them and whatever they do is legitimate. He would have so much more חן if he would have written - I will let the masters of halacha and yiras Hashem decide this question. Who am I?

ולענוים יתן חן.

A woman in Israel with a decidedly feminist and modern orientation wrote a sefer of her halachic decisions including a very dangerous, lenient approach regarding the obligation to have children. I am convinced she means well. I believe her when she says that she is completely submissive to the halachic process and just trying to reveal the will of Hashem. But I am also convinced that to blaze a new path in psak halacha is very dangerous for someone who has not mastered shas and poskim and also done shimush [i.e. sitting at the feet of a gadol for an extended period of time]. I only read parts of the book from the criticism leveled against it and her defense but it doesn't seem that she found any poskim who agreed with her conclusions. Even gedolei gedolim will often say that they will only approve of something if at least two other poskim reach the same conclusion. That is a basic quality called יראת ההוראה - The awe and trembling a posek experiences when deciding what the ratzon ha-Torah is in any given situation.

ולענוים יתן חן.

May we all be zocheh to find חן In the eyes of Hashem and all people!