Based on what I am today I would like to think that I would have understood he intentions of Chazal.
Just as in the time of Purim I would have liked to think I would have had the courage to follow Mordechai, even though a great many of our brethern did not.
Just as in the times of Chanuka I would like to think that I would have joined the Chashmonoim and not the Hellenists.
Just as in the Eygpt in the time’s of the Rambam I hop eI would have had the courage to follow the Rambam and not the Karaites when the Rambam virtually single handidly led the War against them.
Just as I would have hoped in the time of the Spanish Inquistion I would have had the courage to follow the Abarbenel out of Spain though many of our brethern did not.
Just as in the time of RSRH I would like to think I would have joined with RSRH in Frankfurt, though the vast majority of our brethern did not.
Just as in the time when “ism’s” were sweeping through Russia I would like to think I would have joined Novardok,or other Yeshivah movements, though many of our brethern sadly did not.
Just as after the War, I would like to think I would have followed Rav Aaron and the Satmer Rebbe in America and the Chazon ish in Eretz Yisorel though the vast majority of our brethern sadly did not.
You see I cannot judge.
Who am I? What am I? Do I know if I would have had the courage to stand up against the YEtzer Horah throughout History?
Cetainly I don’t.
But I hope I would have.
I hope I would have had the courage to be from the few that always stayed true to a “Torah-centric” Hashkofa, but again I don’t know.
I do know if from the time of the Rambam until ours the Mesorah and approach to Aggadita has been virtually unchanged in a broad aspect (Of course like everything, there is disagreements but they are narrow one’s not over the broad approach)even though it’s been centuries and our Nation has weathered alot, and been attacked alot.
And that means on a Intellectual basis.
Well then, that means that the approach to Aggadita will not change.
The Ramban and the Rashbah, the Mahral and the Ramchal, the Mahrshah and the Ben Yehoyadah and the rest of the Meforshei Aggadita. The Gedolei Yisroel who’s approach and explanations make up the Mesorah we have today will remain what is learnt and what is understood.
And I do know is that if I would have ch’v been from those “on the other side” I would have been wrong. And history would have shown me to be wrong.
Just as Slifkin’s convulted “Rationlist Judaisim” approach will probably grow a drop more and then evaporate and join the dustbin of history along with all the other convulted approaches to Judaisim out there.