Lemmings Looking for Leaders (or, This Rav is your Rav, this Rav is my Rav)

Reading the recent exchanges about YCT in both the Jewish Press and Yated Ne'eman has made me very interested in the use of the Rav's name and legacy by all sorts of different people for their own ideological means. In other words, it's fascinating that papers which are right of center would quote their version of the Rav's oppinions on certain issues, when they certainly stear far clear of him on others. (It's also cute to note here the spelling errors they often make in spelling Soloveitchik in different ways.)

I don't see these pubications advocating for the greater study/pursuit of secular knowledge for the sake of appreciating God, nor do they seem to be pushing for increased opportunities for women to study Torah (the Rav advocated both through his words AND his actions).

It seems to me that the Haredi world's problem with Open Orthodoxy (and Modern Orthodoxy too) is that they are trying to figure out how we can be doing the things we are doing without having our "gedolim" behind us. They therefore quote our "gadols's" supposed oppinions/rulings to us, with the hope that we will realize that what we are doing is even forbidden according to Modern Orthodox Halakhah.

This approach points to a clear lack of understanding on the part of the Haredi community: The MO/OO community most certainly has people whom it reveres as "gedolim." Yet they do not see themselves as exemplars of everything we should be in every facet of our lives. I never knew the Rav personally, but it is clear to me that he did not want his followers to be lemmings, but independant doers and thinkers whose values reflected the inspiration of their teacher and the values which he gave to them. The same can be said for those whom I consider to be the "gedolim" today (such as Rav Aharon Lichtenstein, Rav Yehuda Amital, Rav Yoel Bin Nun). I have had numerous conversations with them, and very rarely have they told me what to do in the way that the Haredi community seems to expect of its "gedolim."

We may follow the same set of rules, the MO/OO world and the Haredi world are far apart in their approaches to the Individual. Simply put, our leaders trust us, and we trust ourselves.