R.Katz is not by nature a Kahanist, but he has certainly locked in to RMK on the subject of the Ger Toshav. This he posted today:
"Chew on this over Shabbat: Rav Kahane quoted the Ritva. Presumably the Ritva 'got ger as his intent'. RavKahane quoted the Ritva. I assume Rav Kahane then understood the Ritva. So in all honesty the question isn't if Rav Kahane 'agrees' with me but rather if we assume that Rav Kahane understood the Ritva, then the only real question is, 'what is the pshat of the Ritva'? I welcome to discuss this with anyone interested, 'what is the pshat of the Ritva.' If the Ritva is 'ger-ish' then per force Rav Kahane 'got ger' and if the Ritva isn't ger-ish then there is what to talk about. I have no doubt about Rav Kahanes understanding of the Ritva that he properly sourced. Again, if ger is in question, and largely sourced through this Ritva...then the struggle is over what is pshat in the Ritva, and the pertinent question is does the Ritva 'agree' with me if we were to phrase it that way. Or in accurate terms who 'does' the Ritva agree with, or best yet, what is the pshat of the Ritva. The good news is that the Ritva only wrote his shita in Hebrew, which means to focus on his shita we must understand the Ritva in its original language and context [to Makkos 9a]. I have made it well known how ger torah works, with rishonim such as ritva, rashba, rambam, rashi, i.e. by showing the consistent deah through the entire mesora and through its sages. Rav Kahane was one of the most current sages, along with Rabbi Yoel Schwartz of whom gave us haskoma, and earlier generations such as the rebbe, Chofetz Chaim in his sefer mitzvot and mishna brura, all to the extent that it is shown that there is no machlokes in this inyan, only differently expressed views based on the various facets of ger. Remember there is ger convert, slave, sachir, chasid, etc. But if we shall focus on Rav Kahane and ger, the non-misleading question is 'what is the pshat of the quoted 'Ritva' as sourced in Ohr HaRayon and in all other related works concerning the Torah non-Jew. Shabbat Shalom, and I sincerely hope those of you who may be confused on this subject, should find a clear understanding of the ritva, despite the innate difficulty of it being only available in Talmudic style Hebrew. Rest assured the Ritva is a part of a larger sugia, as it is regularly quoted alongside the rest of fascinating ger sources, all of which are frequently quoted in the Torah that goes out from my domain. Scholarship is the only way, and since God is good, it is available to all who seek [its wisdom]. Shabbat Shalom, and I hope your continued studies [should you look into the Ritva] be matzliach."
Topic: Rav Dovid Katz on Rav Kahane and the Rebbe (Read 2543 times)