Who is entitled to an opinion about Torah issues?

Why is it that most people would never offer an opinion on a complicated medical issue, legal issue, physics issue, etc. because they understand that they just have no clue, while on complicated halachic and hashkafic issues every Joe Yid feels that he has the right to offer an opinion even though in reality he has no clue? Just like we understand that it takes years to master physics it takes years to master torah.

I recently saw a post on a blog discussing miracles, techiyas hameisim and other related topics. With all due respect to the posters there, they are discussing deep issues which require years of learning to understand, and have a myriad of sources that they have never seen. What makes them think that they are competent to discuss something like techiyas hameisim? Have these people even learned shas once?

Let's imagine instead of techiyas hameisim we were discussing quantum physics, bio-chemistry, particle physics, etc. Would you offer an opinion about whether something that Stephen Hawkings (pick your expert) said is correct or not? I would venture to say no, because you realize that you really have no clue about the subject and what seems illogical/impossible to you from your laymans/ignoramus perspective may be perfectly logical and correct to someone who has devoted to their life to this.

The same applies to Torah. Most people are layman who have not spent years learning Shas (bavli and yerushalmi), poskim, medrashim, zohar, etc. The GRA, Beis Yosef, Rambam, Ramban, etc. did. Therefore most people are not qualified to offer an opinion on these torah issues just like they are not qualified to offer an opinion about quantum physics. Imagine if you went to Stephen Hawkings and told him that you believe or don't believe in black holes because you it sounds logical to you, would he take you seriously? He would laugh you out the door, what do you know about black holes? The same applies to some Joe Yid making a similar statement about techiyas hameisim, miracles, sheydim, etc. In fact, it applies more to Torah because to really understand Torah a person has to be ממית עצמו and needs siyata dishmaya.

What about this blog? After all I post about halachic and hashkafic issues, why am I entitled to an opinion? The answer is that I only post things that I have heard from my Rabbeim or are basic halachos. I learned in YU (and in the Morasha Kollel) for a good number of years and picked up my derech in learning as well as my hashkafos from my Rebbeim, R' Willig and R' Shachter. Basically what I write on this blog relating to Torah is based on what I learned from them.

About the Author:

The Jewish Worker
Thoughts on Torah, working, living in Israel and how they go together.

http://jewishworker.blogspot.com/