Question: Why do we sometimes find that great sages spoke out harshly against other rabbis who permitted things they though were forbidden if there are always disagreements among the Jewish nation?
Answer: It is true that as time progresses and the generation become weaker, more disagreements ensue among the Jewish nation. Indeed the verse (Amos, 8) states: “They shall wander around to seek the word of Hashem and they shall not find it,” and Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai explains (Shabbat 138b) that this verse refers to the fact that when the Jewish nation is in exile, they shall not find a clear Halacha and a clear Mishnah in the same place, for a disagreement exists in almost every aspect of Torah.
Nevertheless, anyone who has toiled very much in Torah and has reached the level of being a halachic decider may state Halacha as it seems to him based on his clarity in the Talmud and Poskim. On the other hand, even such a person is subordinate to the Torah and must follow the tradition we have received, student from teacher all the way up to Moshe Rabbeinu, for if not, one may expound the Torah in a warped manner based on how he sees fit and this may cause countless Jews to transgress the laws of the Torah.
Any rabbi who states an incorrect interpretation of the Torah is included in the verse, “For he has affronted the word of Hashem” and there is no greater sin than distorting the Torah.
The Mishnah in Pirkei Avot (Chapter 3) states: “Rabbi Elazar of Modi’in states: One who interprets the Torah contrary to the (correct) Halacha has no share in the World to Come.” He deduces this from the Talmud (Sanhedrin 99a).
What is the definition of one who interprets the Torah contrary to Halacha? The Gemara (Sanhedrin 99b) gives the example of Menashe, son of King Chizkiyahu, who would expound verses of the Torah in a mocking and condescending manner. Similarly, if one states, “What are rabbis Yeshiva boys worth? They study purely for themselves and we do not benefit from them.” A person who exclaims such a statement is considered to have interpreted the Torah against Halacha and has not share in the World to Come.
The great Rashbetz (in his Sefer Magen Avot) writes that one who expounds an incorrect interpretation of the Torah, such as saying that according to the Torah, one is liable for death for marrying a non-Jewish woman, such a person has no share in the World to Come. This means that although one does not rule more leniently than Torah law and, on the contrary, one actually rules more stringently than Torah law, one is still considered to be interpreting the Torah contrary to the Halacha, for one is warping the Torah and expounding it in a way that is halachically incorrect.
It is for this reason that Maran zt”l would cry with a broken heart against some individuals who call themselves “rabbis” to treat the Torah lightly by publishing baseless lenient rulings on issues the Torah and the greatest Poskim of all time prohibit explicitly (exactly similar to the first Reform “rabbis”). He would also be tremendously hurt from those people who would say that Yeshiva students are worthless and especially from a certain individual who was appointed Chief Rabbi of a certain city and exclaimed that Yeshiva students were “parasites,” for such individuals surely do not have a share in the World to Come.
Although it is certainly more pleasant to speak good and reassuring words and not to rebuke or chastise, nevertheless, the truth must prevail and the leaders of the generation must lead their flock along the path of truth and integrity.
Indeed, the Talmud Yerushalmi (Chapter 3 of Masechet Bikkurim, Halacha 3) states that Rabbi Manna would mock rabbinical judges who were appointed solely because of their connections. Rabbi Shayan said regarding one who is appointed because of money that one should not rise before him, he should not be called a rabbi, and his honorable rabbinical garb is considered a donkey’s saddle. The Rambam (Chapter 3 of Hilchot Sanhedrin) rules likewise.
The public must be aware of this and not accept every rabbi with closed eyes. Rather, people should consult with other rabbis and only when they ascertain that this rabbi is accepted by great Torah scholars should they accept him as well.
