When and how to seek daas Torah

Coordinated by Mindel Kassorla

We Jews are trained to ask questions, to present sh’eilos and clarify halachah, but where do we draw the line?

We seek guidance from those steeped in Torah for all types of communal and personal dilemmas, not just when it comes to strict Jewish law.

We seek daas Torah because we understand Torah to be the primary force that informs decisions in all areas of life.

But at what point are we encouraged to seek counsel rather than make our own decisions?
How far should we go in requesting guidance at the expense of developing personal responsibility?

Where else to turn with such a dilemma other than daas Torah?

Rabbanim and educators share insights from their personal wealth of wisdom and experience

The Truest Lens

Rabbi Ahron Kaufman

Yiddishkeit is not merely a legal code of dos and don’ts; it is a comprehensive worldview and way of life, infused with Torah wisdom.

So our questions to talmidei chachamim are not confined to halachic matters, with personal and hashkafic decisions left to individual discretion. We seek guidance from those steeped in the Torah’s teachings in all manner of communal and personal dilemmas, not just in problems of strict Jewish law. We seek daas Torah because we understand Torah to be an ennobling and enriching force that informs decisions in all areas of life.

But because hashkafic and personal questions — like choosing a spouse, profession, or yeshivah — require consideration of individual inclinations and experiences, unlike purely halachic questions, this creates a profound conundrum. How far should we go in seeking guidance, and how far should we develop our personal responsibility?

In truth, these concepts do not conflict but rather complement each other as building blocks of a Torah-based life.

Aseh lecha rav does not mean to outsource one’s thinking. A rebbi or rav is not there to replace one’s daas, but to develop and refine it —to provide the Torah knowledge and perspective necessary for proper decision-making. The goal of a yeshivah and a rebbi is to be maamid talmidim — establishing budding talmidei chachamim who can stand strong on their own. Seeking daas Torah for every minor matter may indicate reluctance to take responsibility for one’s life.

The guiding principle is this: Asking should lead to clarity, broader understanding, and alignment with Torah values — not abdication of decision-making. True growth occurs when daas Torah integrates into one’s thinking, fostering confident choices. A rav or rebbi serves as a coach, helping individuals frame their dilemmas and decisions rather than dictating them, offering clarity on significant life decisions and on questions that cannot be answered alone.

The Iggeros Ukesavim of my rebbi, Rav Yitzchok Hutner (letters 100, 123, 135, and 247), reveals his profound sensitivity for the uniqueness of each individual and the complexities of personal decision-making. The Rosh Yeshivah keenly recognized that a rav may possess vast Torah knowledge, but if he lacks intimate familiarity with a person’s life, struggles, and inner workings, his counsel risks being detached from reality.

In one case, Rav Hutner advises a talmid that his question centers not on logic but on will, and therefore he should “listen well to your inner will and follow its counsel.” This insight is both profound and empowering; the realm of personal will is uniquely internal and must be discerned by the individual under the guidance of a talmid chacham or rav. True clarity emerges from deep self-reflection. Man is not a passive recipient of wisdom but an active participant in his own spiritual and emotional journey.

In a letter to a talmid weighing whether to leave Eretz Yisrael, Rav Hutner invokes a principle (Yoma 83a) from Yom Kippur: If a sick person insists on eating, his own assessment of his condition outweighs even expert medical opinion. The message is clear: Just as only the individual can judge his own physical needs, so too must he gauge the strength of his emotional and spiritual attachments. Rather than dictate an answer, Rav Hutner urges the correspondent to explore the forces pulling him back to America, reinforcing the idea that self-awareness is key to sound decision-making.

Rav Hutner candidly tells one correspondent that he cannot advise him because he does not know the details of the man’s daily life. In another, he likewise admits he cannot provide proper counsel because he does not know the person himself, and illustrates this with one of his signature parables, the chariot and the boat. A traveling chariot leaves defined tracks others can follow; a boat, however, leaves no lasting impression on the water. Today’s young people, he says, have paths as fluid as water — so one person’s experience cannot offer guidance for the right course for another.

Rav Hutner’s letters reflect his deep reverence for his talmidim’s autonomy and individuality, not imposing solutions but directing them with a gadol’s Torah perspective. He fosters a model of self-development that empowers the individual to take ultimate responsibility for his own life decisions.

WE seek guidance from those immersed in Torah because Torah is the expression of Hashem’s ratzon (will), and the more a person learns, the more he refines his intellect and aligns his thinking with Hashem’s ratzon. This is the essence of daas Torah: Those who have absorbed the Torah’s teachings and values, and who have refined their character through its light, are uniquely suited to provide an authentic Jewish perspective on life’s most important matters.

Moreover, gedolim — great talmidei chachamim — view the world from a perspective unclouded by secular influences, which gives them unparalleled clarity of thought rooted in the eternal truth of Torah. This is why, in every generation, Hashem grants us leaders whose daas Torah provides the truest lens for viewing life’s challenges. “Sod Hashem lireiav.”

However, seeking guidance requires preparation. Questions must be formulated with clarity — thought through, structured, and presented with all relevant factors. When my father-in-law, Rav Feivel Cohen, author of Badei HaShulchan, was asked about a medical dilemma, he didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he instructed the individual to present the full picture: the facts, the core dilemma, possible options with their pros and cons, personal concerns, the impact on his family, and his spouse’s perspective. Then, he advised him to set it aside overnight and review it the next day. The man followed these steps, and by the time he revisited his question, the answer had become self-evident.

A rav is not a halachic pharmacist, dispensing quick answers like over-the-counter prescriptions. He is a skilled diagnostician, discerning the spiritual and halachic nuances of each situation before offering guidance. Too often, people expect their rabbanim to do the thinking for them, burdening them with ill-defined questions rather than arriving with well-articulated dilemmas. Worse, when a question is poorly framed, they may receive the right answer — but to the wrong question.

The most profound influence a rav can exert is through example — elevating others by embodying the greatness they aspire to achieve. A true Torah leader does not merely provide answers; he embodies the values his talmidim strive for. Many dilemmas do not require explicit guidance — those who live with a rebbi’s presence in their lives instinctively ask, “What would my rebbi do?”

In sum, the true goal of seeking daas Torah is not to avoid thinking but to develop clarity, ensuring that we ask the right questions and take full responsibility for our own decisions. This underscores an essential truth: Every individual needs a rav who knows him personally. A talmid chacham who understands not just Torah but you — your background, strengths and struggles, your family dynamics — can provide guidance that is not only halachically sound but personally relevant.

Investing in such a relationship is not a luxury; it is an imperative. In moments of doubt, every Jew must have a rav to turn to — not just for answers, but for direction, clarity, and wisdom.

Rav Ahron Kaufman, a talmid of Rav Yitzchok Hutner and marbitz Torah of note, is the rosh yeshivah of Yeshivah Ateres Shmuel of Waterbury, and the founder of the community in Waterbury, Connecticut, and its network of mosdos haTorah.