But It’s Against Mesorah!
Rabbi Yosef Kanefsky has a post at Morethodoxy, The Mesorah and Her Alleged Heretics.
It is unmistakable that our received tradition instructs us to continuously reflect upon our long-standing practices. For the fact that a given practice is long-standing can point either to the conclusion that it is worthy and good, or to the conclusion that it is overdue for a reassessment, as it represents a premature plateauing in our constant ascent toward God’s ideal. To change is not to breach the mesorah. If anything, the opposite is true.
We have a received tradition regarding the means and the methods of change as well. The process is characterized by cautiousness and consensus-building, care and community. But we need to be wary of those who brandish the term “mesorah” as a weapon against any change that doesn’t suit their political tastes. They are abusing the term, and leading us backwards.