Has anyone here ever heard the phrase “I respectfully disagree”?
Given that there are differences between our religious leaders and influencers of every stripe, and there have been for thousands of years;
and given that there are boruch hashem more people walking around with more Torah education in more places than ever before;
and given that HKBH gave us our own seichel and our own personal discernment, which we are commanded to subordinate to HKBH’s directions for living in his Torah, but which we are not commanded to subordinate to the will of another human being, no matter how much of a tzadik or talmid chochom he may be;
and given that in exercise of our free will to agree with or disagree with those who are almost certainly holier than or more learned than us, we will ultimately have to give din vecheshbon to HKBH, and not to anyone here, or to any designated defender of gedolim;
and given that we are all capable of being menshlech, even when we hold by a different opinion, psak, philosophy or worldview;
Let us resolve to respect not only each other, but also those termed “gedolim” by those who mean it as “manhigim”, by simply respecting them and not condemning them but if we must, rather identify the particular action or decision that they are associated with that is problematic.
It doesn’t cost anything to be respectful, even when you vehemently disagree. And no one is capable of enforcing an emotional or intellectual attachment or visceral dislike on anyone.
If I have not practiced what I am preaching in the past, I will do my best to avoid it in the future.