Kinyan 23 Emunas Chachomim - Rebbi Akiva Eiger Says To Listen To The Segulos Of Rav Eliyahu Gutmacher
Rav Eliyahu Gutmacher, one of the great Poskei HaDor and one of the main talmidim of Rebbi Akiva Eiger, had a son who wrote a Peirush on Maseches Kanim called Kan Mifureshes. In an introduction he said about his son's sefer that when someone is sick he should learn the Sefer and he will be cured from his illness. Apparently there was skepticism abound and Rebbi Akiva Eiger himself declared that since everybody relies upon Rav Eliyahu for psak halacha they can rely on his segulos as well.
Fast forward 250 years and we find our society challenged by the exact opposite problem. We hang on life on every syllable that our tzaddikim utter regarding for segulos and business advice but not on their psak halacha or their views on Halichos HaChaim.
Sure everything is in the Torah and a true tzaddik know what is best from his learning. But Am Yisroel was built by Hashem in a way that our existence over thousands of years is dependent on the Mesora. The Mesora is the Mesora of the Torah from generation to generation with all the halachos and Hanhagos for a Yirei Shamayim. Business sectors and economies come and go but Torah is our life blood. The Mesora is given over to the keeper of the flame, the tzadikim.
We need to listen to our gedolim and their views and opinions how to live by the Torah. That is what they are here for. Without them, not one word or even letter of the Torah makes any sense to us. And at no time can we say we've learned enough that we can decide for ourselves and we know better than they do. Especially since we don't even know how to choose our next investment or medical treatment.
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