The Meaning of Da’at Torah

“Da’at Torah bridged the gap between aggadah and halachah. It lent unqualified authority to the views of a sage on precisely those issues of interpretation and evaluation that lay beyond the parameters of halachah. The idea itself is deeply rooted in tradition. But it contains a fateful ambiguity. It may mean a Torah view or the Torah view. In principle, since the subjects with which it deals are not given to halachic resolution, it means a Torah view. But in practice, since the institutions in which it is voiced are usually monolithic, it has come to mean the Torah view.”

One People, p. 103