Kavod ha-Torah

Question

The Gemara in Sanhedrin gives as one of the definitions of an apikores someone who degrades talmidei hakhamim. An apikores has no share in the world to come. Rambam records this in Hilkhot Talmud Torah: If you degrade a Torah scholar you have no share in olam haba. Yet there are people who make degrading comments about Rav Abadi, a universally recognized talmid hakham and posek. By doing so these people assume the status of reshaim, with all that this entails. What is funny, or sad, is that these people probably can't read a siman in the Shulhan Arukh, and yet they act as if they can take on someone who knows the entire Shulhan Arukh like the back of his hand. I have heard the criticisms of R. Abadi's Pesah list and Kashrut views by many people, some of whom even know how to learn. What the criticisms come down to -- although the critics don't realize it -- is that R. Abadi is deciding halakhah in accordance with the Shulhan Arukh. Strange as it may sound, that's why he is subjected to criticism. In our day and age, you are not frum if you follow the Shulhan Arukh. That's how crazy matters have become. For those who find this hard to believe, let me give you some examples. I have heard criticism that R. Abadi includes items with corn syrup in his Pesah list. Well, I ask all the know-it-alls to try to find where in the Shulhan Arukh it says that liquid extracts are kitniyot. The answer is that it isn't there! In fact, such world renowned poskim as R. Yitzhak Elhanan Spektor, R. Shalom Schwadron, R. Samson Raphael Hirsch, R. David Zvi Hoffmann, R. Zvi Pesah Frank, R. Jehiel Jacob Weinberg, all approved of kitniyot liquid extracts. Why is it that none of the big kashrut organizations today approve of this? You will have to ask them, but R. Abadi certainly doesn't need to justify ijs position Those who forbid this have to explain why they are choosing to do so. But let's assume for argument's sake that these extracts are real kitniyot. The halakhah is that kitniyot are batel in rov. This is found explicitly in the Mishnah Berurah. People don't want to rely on this? Fine, but where do you get the chutzpah to attack a Rav who relies on the standard sources of Jewish law?! Another example is the kelal of setam kelim einam benei yomam. Never heard of this? Well, it is right there in the Shulhan Arukh. It is not a "kula" for emergency situatios. It is a straight halakhah, black letter law. Today people don't want to rely on this. If non-kosher food ever touched a utensil, even 5 years ago, then they want their food never to come into contact with this utensil That's fine, but they shouldn't confuse this with Jewish law as codified in the Shulhan Arukh. In fact, many of the chumras around today can't find a precedent in any of the classic works of Jewish law, but have become popular in the last 30 years or so. So in conclusion, let there be no mistake that those who criticize R. Abadi are usually -- without knowing it -- announcing that the halakhah of the Shulhan Arukh is not good enough for them. What a topsy-turvy world we live in! Marc Shapiro