old man –
“the Maharal could have made a Golem but probably didn’t” to be a bit of a cop-out, this is exactly the shitto of R’ Avrohom Gurwitz shlit’a. “
This is a good technique to use if one wants to increase the stature of the person spoken of.But as an argument, it is worse than useless. The claim that “So and so can do this but he didn’t want to”, or “could have done it, but probably didn’t” leads nowhere, except to the suspicion that the reason he didn’t was because he couldn’t.
I think you got the wrong end of the wrong stick. I was referring to those who maintain that the Maharal’s Golem definitely existed and to say he could have made one but didn’t is a cop-out. To which I responded that there are some very high profile Rabbonim who hold that. I was not trying to say that the Maharal ‘didn’t want to’, simply that he had the requisite knowledge (Sefer Yetzira etc.) and piety to do it. We know he learned Sefer Yetzira, this is well documented, as well as being very well-versed in many areas of Kabbala. We know he was an extremely holy person. This is all that was meant. Nothing more.