Rabbiofberlin,
I think we’re making some foward progress here. (I feel like a therapist.)
I don’t think any normal person would contend that any Gadol has ABSOLUTE knowledge of anything. (I’m not Chasiddish so I can’t speak for them, but I’d assume that even they agree – they just feel that the Rebbe will always have siyyatta d’shmaya to make the correct decision).
As to “lo sassur” dealing exclusively with piskei halacha I can not dispute that point until I research the issue.
I think a big part of our machlokes here is narrowing down the type of issues to ask da’as torah.
For instance, sometimes when asking a Rosh HaYeshiva a question as to weather or not do go ahead with a business deal, the questioner merely is looking for reassurance or for a bracha.
I’m mostly dealing with the issue of things that are nogaiah to the tzibbur. When it comes to such an issue, us in the da’as torah camp are simply saying that when Rabbiofberlin (& myself for that matter) is giving his opinion on the matter he is coming to his conclusions based on all the shtusim that his head is filled with & his opinion is not really worth any more than the other semi-intelligent guy next door.
However when an Adam Gadol offers HIS opinion on the matter, he is coming to his conclusion based on the TORAH outlook of the situation – NOT the New York Times outlook.
In other words, the odds are that HIS opinion is much more in tune with Hashem’s opinion than YOUR opinion.
THEREFORE common sense dictates that when attemting to come to a decision as to how to proceed, it would behoove (not obligate from a halachic perspective, rather from a moral perspective) the thinking orthodox jew who is interested in acting in accordance with G-D’s will to follow the opinion of Gedolai Yisroel & not the opinion of every baalabos & his mother-in-law.
As I stated previously, this is not a “twentieth century invention”, this is basic common sense which has been in existence since Adam HaRishon.