Teaching and Ruling

There is a bit of a contradiction, or at least an apparent inconsistency, in R. Abraham Besdin's book Reflections of the Rav. In chapter 6 ("The Profundity of Jewish Folk Wisdom"), R. Besdin quotes R. Joseph B. Soloveitchik as defending the religious intuition of the devout but unlearned Jew. The values and traditions are so ingrained in the Jewish psyche that they infiltrate the subconscious thought of such Jews.

Yet in chapter 13 ("The 'Common-Sense' Rebellion Against Torah Authority"), R. Besdin quotes R. Soloveitchik as insisting that authentic Judaism must come from its authoritative representatives because the masses are misguided in their "common-sense" approach. Are the masses subconsciously enlightened or not? Can their religious instincts be trusted or not?

I think the resolution to this question can be found in the repetition in chapter 1 of Avos of the dictum: "Make for yourself a teacher" (Avos 1:6, 16).

Click here for moreI think the resolution to this question can be found in the repetition in chapter 1 of Avos of the dictum: "Make for yourself a teacher" (Avos 1:6, 16). According to Rashi, this is an example of two rabbis teaching the same idea. The Rambam, however, sees two different concepts being advocated.

The first is an instruction to find a mentor who will teach you Torah. The second is a command to find a rabbinic authority who will rule on halakhic matters for you. The former is about a teacher of Torah theory and the latter about an instructor in Torah practice.

When it comes to Torah knowledge, it exists in abundance in the Jewish psyche. Torah insights inform the attitudes and practices of traditional Jews from the time we are born through our entire lives. Jewish law, however, must be decided by an expert in its application who knows all of its sources and understands how different circumstances affect the final ruling. Torah study and teaching are universal activities -- we recite the blessing every morning "to listen, learn and teach... all the teachings of Your Torah" (Sacks translation). But Torah ruling is only for the experts, not amateurs who know how to open a few books and think they thereby gain an understanding of Jewish law.

That's how it's done in Authentic Judaism.