I LOVE Gedolei Torah. ויאמינו בה' ובמשה עבדו - In the same breath it says we believed in Hashem and in Moshe His servant. Every generation and its Moshe.
But it is OUTTA HAND!!!
1] Pictures: Rabbonim are not Hollywood performers. They don't like constantly being photographed and videoed. Leave them alone. They are people, too.
2] Stop asking them mundane questions: You are debating between tuna in water or in oil - figure it out yourself [my eitza - go with the water]. Gedolim have MUCH MORE IMPORTANT THINGS TO DO than to answer silly questions that any functioning human being should be able to decide for himself.
3] Important questions: Ask your Rov [or "Rav"]. He knows you better than the Gadol and can give you the Torah answer that fits YOU. Let the Gadol do instead what he REALLY wants to do - learn. You don't have a Rov? Get one. I am hiring myself out for 1 dollar a month. With ten thousand subscribers I will do well. Better - Get yourself a REAL Rov.
4] Brachos: Get a bracha from HASHEM!!! It is called "Birkas Kohanim". We do it every day in Israel. ושמו את שמי על בני ישראל ואני אברכם. Hashem blesses us through the Kohanim. Why is a bracha that is a mitzva Di-oraisa, less valuable to people than a bracha that is not?? Someone was given six weeks to live from the doctors? Send your name to the Gadol and ask for a bracha but remember - in the stories the person always has a miraculous recovery. In real life it doesn't always work out that way. There are many people lying RIGHT NOW in their graves who received brachos that weren't fulfilled. Sometimes HASHEM makes the bracha work - sometimes not. If Tzadkim had unlimited power, they would go to the hospital right now and cure everyone. Why don't they? Because HASHEM runs the world. We are his puppets. Sometimes the Tzadik does perform a wonder and people are strengthened in their faith. But not EVERY Tzadik EVERY time. Even, li-havdil - Michael Jordan and Wayne Gretzky missed some shots. להבדיל!
Again - Tzaikim have power but it all comes from Hashem who makes the final decision. So daven for yourself, participate in Birkas Kohanim and you are BLESSED.
5] Time: The lines to get into Gedolim are very long. Unless it is a dire situation, daven to Hashem hard and spend the rest of your time learning. Save time - yours and his.
6] Tourism: Tzadikim are not tourist attractions, here to amuse us and make our trips to Israel exciting. They are living, breathing human beings who don't want to be used as a substitute for hiking Massada or swimming in the Banyas.
7] Learn their Torah. That is what they really want - much more than your adulation.
8] Corruption - Be careful not to be so quick to believe that a Gadol did or didn't say anything. People MAKE STUFF UP that he never said. People close to him might also misinform him about certain things. So be wary.
9] Respect ALL Talmidei Chachomim, not only the ones crowned by Time as most influential.
10] Teach your kids to love, fear and revere Gedolim. But at the same time to respect their time, privacy and personal space.
