daf bit: Eruvin 62
May. 9th, 2013 08:59 amThere is a halacha (as I understand it) that a student or disciple is
forbidden to issue rulings within the jurisdiction of his master (for
example, in his master's district). The g'mara raises but does not here
answer some questions about this. We have a tradition, Abaye said, that
the teaching of R. Eliezer b. Yaakov is small in quantity but well-sifted,
meaning that few of his teachings are recorded but the ones that are
are always right. So, Abaye asks, can a disciple rule in accordance
with him even in the jurisdiction of his master? R. Yaakov b. Abba asked
Abaye: may a disciple give a ruling that is authoritative as Megillat
Ta'anit (the only written halachic collection at the time)? The
g'mara says that R. Hisda made no ruling on either case and does not
seem to resolve the question. (62b)
My intuition would be that even if the answer is "obvious", it's not considered proper -- because you might be wrong about obviousness. Also, note that we are talking about the narrower case of making rulings, not the broader case of teaching.