Chosson: “What’s the heter? Or that’s where we get our blind “Emunas Chachamim”?”
Yes, actually. The power of the Rabbonim is to pasken halacha, to both assur and matir. Or do you only follow your Rav’s chumros?
I find it disturbing that people here so readily bash people relying on the pasak of their Rav. Any Rav undoubtedly knows far more about the halacha than anybody on this thread does. Who are you to question a Rav’s pasak?
Caveat: I am not in any way condoning hypocrisy in following a Rav’s pasakim. I am, however, saying that no hypocrisy of such type has occurred here, and I am therefore not sure why everybody is bashing it. SJSinNYC simply stated that her Rav gave her a heter to shake a non-jewish man’s hand – where’s the hypocrisy in that?
Helpful: Call me a critic, but somehow, I doubt that.
sof davar hakol nishma: I was always under the impression that that gemora was referring to secular leaders (a reference to something I believe is called democracy), and I find your comparison between Rabbonim and dogs disturbing.