Misused Ma'amarei Chazal

Chazal say many important things. These “hashkafic” sayings that we see in the mishna, gemara, medrash were said by torah giants who had an outstanding comprehension of kol hatorah koolah, and spent their entire lives only serving hashem. With such chachma and tzidkus, they said lots of things about how people ought to act and live their lives.

Much of what they said sounds very vague and can be interpreted in different ways. Especially when we find two different maamarim that seem to contradict each other or at least stressing two opposite ideas.

When we learn a sugya in gemara pertaining to halacha, we analyze every word that was said, try to understand every shitah, see exactly where the machlokes is, try to see why we might understand one shitah over another etc. and even then we never pasken from a gemara. We always rely on the understanding and interpretations of the greater torah scholars who came before us and who they paskened like.

And yet… what I have noticed when it comes to hashkafa inyanim, is something completely different. People decide what they feel the correct way to think is, and then they find a gemara somewhere that seems to be saying something of that sort, and then everyone who doesn’t agree with them is either a chatzi kofer who be’etzem belongs in YU, or a closed minded yeshivishe guy who can’t think for himself.

There is always going to be a chazal somewhere that says something that will help you “prove” your shitah. You can’t just pull out a gemara and say “it’s a ofaneh chazal!” IT’S NOT OFANEH! It’s a saying that can be understood in so many ways. And if i want i can find a saying that seems to say the opposite.