PAA – quote, “I would altogether avoid the term “gadol” with all the confusion that comes along with it and instead I would talk about “tremendous talmidei chachamim”. While there may be no exact definition of this, someone who is holding in shas and poskim would clearly qualify.”
Thank you very much for your explanation. If your definition is except by and large by the D”L community, then you have brought a lot of enlightenment to the room.
I will not attempt to be the one to give a definitive definition of a “Gadol” for the Chareidi community, but this much I will say. When a Chareidi Jew uses the term “Gadol” he means something FAR beyond just a “tremendous talmidei chachamim”. What you are defining, we call a “Chacham”. With that definition there is room to include ALL the above mentioned Rabbanim.
However, when we use the term “Gadol” we are using it in reference to someone that is an “Ish Kodesh” who receives Divine inspiration and sees things that are beyond the scope of pure human logic alone. For instance, Hashem provided for Mordechai HaYehudi information about what was going on that Mordechai could not have possibly known on his own.
When I once inquired about HaRav Shach, z”l, the Gadol that I spoke to brought down in the name of the Brisker Rav that “HaRav Shach is able to see things in the same way that we are able to see things in a lightning storm”. I took that to mean that just like when there is a bolt of lightning at night, all of a sudden it lights up the sky and you can see things momentarily, so to Rav Shach was able to see things momentarily and realize the outcome.
To us a Gadol is way beyond just being an incredible Talmid Chacham. I have a Rebbe who is a Baki in Shas and outstanding in Kaballah as well. However, I would not refer to him as “Gadol”. He has reached tremendous heights, but not to the heights of a Gadol!
Now, assuming that all Chareidim would agree to what I have said, can you understand that we don’t mean to desparage your Talmeidi Chachamim. However, we would never put their opinion before the opinion of those “angel like” people that we call “Gadol”; those that we believe have special siyata dishmiya that goes beyond mere logic?