Truth in Halacha and What it Means to Paskin (Hakdamah to Iggros Moshe Part 1)

The introduction to R' Moshe Feinstein's Iggros Moshe is something I firmly believe that every serious student of halacha must read at least once in their lives. Even if you don't typically listen to the Rambam Bekius shiurim, you can listen to this one as a standalone ... well, plus Part 2 tomorrow. This afternoon (12/28/21), in our Rambam Bekius chavurah, we reviewed the halachos about students who are not on the level to paskin and who do so anyway. After a brief attempt to answer a prior question, based on the Ralbag's commentary to Shir ha'Shirim, we delved into R' Moshe's hakdamah for two reasons: (1) to see an example of someone who was truly humble and didn't view himself as being on the level to give psak, and (b) to understand what it means to give psak. We got about halfway through, stopping to discuss a number of fundamental points about the nature of the halachic system. We intend to continue tomorrow (בג"ה).