DEUT879 Do not deviate from the words of the Torah authorities of your generation. People's ideas, outlooks and ways of thinking differ greatly, and the areas of disagreement are countless. Regarding many matters, never will there be a meeting of the minds. Hashem knew that if each individual would be allowed to interpret the Torah according to his way of thinking, the number of disputes would be so great, it would create an impossible situation. For this reason, He commands us to listen to and not swerve from the teachings of our Sages, for they received the true interpretation of the Torah orally and passed it onwards to the next generation, so that it would be preserved. Similarly, He commands us to not swerve from the teachings of the greatest Torah luminaries of each generation, for they possess the true tradition as to what the Torah means, having learned it from their predecessors. When new issues arise and it is necessary to determine the Torah ruling on the matter, these luminaries toil over the questions day and night, drawing upon their deep and expansive knowledge of the Torah and the teachings of their predecessors. Thereby, they arrive at the truth. By accepting their decisions, we will understand and fulfill the Torah properly. If we do otherwise, following our own weak minds and relying upon our sparse knowledge of the Torah, we will dismally fail on every front. In fact, say our Sages, even if the leading Torah scholars of the generation say that left is right and right is left, we are forbidden to deviate from their teachings, or even if they are mistaken about any particular issue, it is counter-productive to dispute them. Better to adhere to their mistaken ruling in one matter and leave the entire Torah to them to interpret as they see it. Better that than to leave each individual to interpret the Torah as he sees it, for that scenario would spell immediate ruin for our whole way of life. The task of determining the true meaning of the Torah must be left to our nation's wise men. In addition, when they meet to decide such matters, they are commanded to follow the decision of the majority.
SHOW FULL EXCERPT