We have mentioned the Chazon Ish already.
Another example is the various (often Chassidic) statements similar to the one by Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch Kalischer (in a letter to Rabbi Chaim Elazar Waks):
ויש לראות גודל התכלית הזה שהקלי’ גוברת גם בצדיקים היותר גדולים לבטל הטוב הזה…
That is, the greater they are, the greater the proof against their own position…
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Ever see an article that doesn’t seem related to Judaism on Hyehudi.org – “Aggregated Articles About Judaism”?
Here’s a general rule for reading Hyehudi:
Ask yourself if many of the most famous and scholarly rabbis today would agree with a certain message. If they wouldn’t, well then that’s what I mean to wonder about. And if the said rabbis haven’t expressed an opinion either way, then I mean they really ought to do so.
Have time for a short joke (source)?
General Marshall is in charge of the American Army, and he is visiting his colleague General Goldstein, who is in charge of the Israeli Army. Marshall arrives at the military camp and is greeted by Goldstein.
They both walk around the place, and Marshall asks: “So how are your men?”
“Very well trained, General.”
“I hope so. You see, my men over at the United States Army are so well trained, you see, they’re the bravest men in the world.”
“Well, I’m not so sure about that General,” replies Goldstein. “My men are very brave, too.”
“I’d like to see that,” says Marshall.
So Goldstein calls private Barak and says: “Private Barak! I want you to stop that tank simply by standing in front of it!”
“Are you crazy?” says Private Barak. “It would kill me! Are you some kind of fool?”
Goldstein turns to Marshall and says, “You see? You have to be pretty brave to talk like that to a general.”
I tried reading a pedestrian halacha column on Chanukah…
It went like this (references omitted):
It’s best not to light the Menorah before the customary time by one’s rabbis or ancestors. But if one must leave his house earlier, follow the following instructions:
One who usually lights at night after Ma’ariv, and needs to leave before Tzeis, can light then and pray afterward.
If one must leave earlier, light at Shki’ah. This is preferable to lighting at Plag Hamincha.
If one must leave home before Shki’ah, whether he usually lights at sunset or at Tzeis, can light at Plag, which comes out about an hour before sunset. But the candles must stay burning until half an hour after Tzeis. It is proper to pray Mincha beforehand, but not on account of joining a minyan.
However, since lighting at Plag is unclear (some say this is too early, or one fulfills his obligation only bediavad, or “after the fact”. Also some say Plag occurs right before Shki’ah), therefore:
Only do so if “forced” to leave the house at that time.
Some say it’s better to have his wife or another member of the household light on his behalf at the correct time, instead. However…
Silly me. I thought the goal of Torah was Hora’ah! This fearful mention of every mutually-exclusive “opinion” under the sun ad infinitum is a relativist dereliction of duty. Is this “kav kalekav” — the opposite of our ancestors’ general toil and therefore confidence in deciding halacha — our “glory in the sight of the nations?”!
This callow, self-fulfilling-prophecy of halachic inability was written by an ostensible posek (or “Motz”, anyway), yet it need not have been. If you aren’t going to think for yourself, and courageously take a side in the debates, what do we need a talmid chacham for? Let’s employ a secular librarian who can read Hebrew and knows how to give academic summaries of convoluted material!