MISC-----gilgulim

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You may not be aware that in the Sefer Emunah V'Deyos (The Book of Beliefs and Opinions - treatise 6, section 8) by R. Sadia Gaon, R. Sadia strongly objects to the concepts of Gilgulim. My friend also pointed out that many Rishonim also objected to this concept. So, he thought that this opinion should have been included in your previous reply so that the person who disagreed with the concept has Al Mi Lismoch - on whom to rely.

I am aware of those shitos. However:

1) Just because some rishonim wrote such things does not justify someone nowadays saying they refuse to believe in gilgulim. The overwhelming majority of authorities have agreed that it is accepted. You cannot "rely" on a minority opinion and say "I refuse to believe" the majority. You can say "there is another opinion". There is a big difference.

2) Second, the Chacham Ovadiah was following the accepted school of thought in basically all of Klall Yisroel for many centuries. The poster was criticizing Rav Ovadiah's statement. The existence of these Rishonim's opinion is not basis for criticism of Rav Ovadiah's statement. The poster was saying that they refuse to believe what Rav Ovaidiah said was true, and I said that what she believes does not matter. That is a fact.

3) The poster's reasons for refusing to believe in Gilgulim are not the same as Rav Sadiah Gaon's. Rav Sadiah was basing his statement on Torah-information. The poster was basing hers on her own personal opinions. Basing Torah policies on your own personal opinion of what should and should not be is never acceptable, and therefore, the poster has no right to make such a statement, as she was not relying on any Rishonim, rather on her own judgment of what should or should not be.

Regarding the issue in general, there are two things you must consider:

1) There are many exotic opinions in the Rishonim that have not been accepted by Klall Yisroel. This does not mean that they are not legitimate, but rather that Klall Yisroel are "talmidim" of the opposing school of thought, and no longer accept the other opinions. Examples:

* Rav Chisdai Kreskas and Rav Yosef Albo disagree with the Rambam's 13 Ikarim (they agree they are true they do not agree that those are the Ikarim). Looking at current Torah literature - meaning the past 500 years - we clearly accept the Rambam's opinion that there are 13 Ikarim. Even the Chasam Sofer who disagreed with the whole concept of Ikarim has not made inroads into Klall Yisroel's mind set even among Hungarians.

* The Ralbag in Milchamos Hashem holds that creation ex nihilo was really not 100% ex nihilo. We clearly do not accept this.

Klall Yisroel has accepted the existence of gilgulim almost unanimously, against the other Rishonim.

2) In this particular case, there is a good reason why we are Talmidim of the believers in Gilgulim, and have rejected the other opinion. Those Rishonim who wrote against gilgulim did not yet know of the Sefer HaZohar, which was discovered after their days. The Rambam probably did not even have it (from the ARizal's Sefer Hagilgulim it would seem that he holds like those who say the Ramban discovered it). In the Zohar, gilgulim are clearly a reality (Zohar chayei sara 207, Vayeshev 176, and many, many other places). This being the case, the words of the pre-Zohar Rishonim are not given the authority they would have otherwise, since they were writing without knowledge of Rav Shimon bar Yochai's opinion.

This is largely why those Rishonim's opinion has not been incorporated into our authoritative literature as it normally would be.

You will be hard pressed to find Rishonim after the Zohar was discovered, say, after the Ramban, that opposed gilgulim. Now that the Zohar has been revealed, we must bow to the authority of a Tanna.

The Migdal Oz quotes even the Rambam as regretting things that he said before he was aware of certain kabalistic concepts. (See the blurb on the Rambam in Shem Hagedolim of the Chida for details).

Therefore, the Chacham Ovadiah does not need to take into consideration those Rishonim that did not believe in gilgulim