YYA> Sarah Shenirer didn’t just run ahead with her idea on her own, she did seek guidance from the Belzer Rebbe, and not much later got the emphatic support of the Imrei Emes of Ger,
From what I read, she got her original idea from a German Rav she met in Vienna as a refugee during Great War (and first skeptical seeing a “Rav” in a modern suit). She got a brocha from Beltzer Rebbe when her brother submitted a kvittel in an effort to convince her NOT to go with this – and was surprised by the answer. And she also brought at least 3 German university-educated ladies to help her develop the curriculum. I am not sure how well knows this history is to the BY students, but maybe the whole point was to launder the German curriculum thru acceptable channels 🙂
>> [Chofetz Chaim] “His solution: an article in a Yiddishe paper summarizing halochos of mikva on one page”
> That’s all he ever did? Not exactly.
Of course. I am just mentioning one of the specific letters. He wrote me. I am not piling it on Chofetz Chaim, he had an understanding of issues – not only women and immigrants, soldiers (mahane isroel book), but also calling on to keep housing prices low for great war refugees; to support Jews in USSR with packages and fasts, etc. My point was only that others, not just gedolim, can and should participate in developing solutions. I am not of the view that Rabbis should be ignored, but that we all have a responsibility.
> For starters, because ‘contemporary issues’ are vastly more susceptible to interference from the good old Yetzer Hara than halachic discussions spelled out in the Gemara…
Absolutely, we benefit from Gemora and other sources that they help us develop the approach. Still, we need at some point to proceed to deal with current issues. There is nothing new here – amoraim were also combining learning what was old then with dealing with contemporary society. Maybe the difference is that changes happen now at much faster rate, so issues and decisions might change in 10-20 years. It calls both to be a little more conservative in changes, but also paying more attention to what is happening.