Responsa do Wyjścia 28:28

And the later Sages added and innovated precise deductions and arguments. It is not that the early Sages did not know them, but rather they left them for the generation that came after them to distinguish themselves with them, and the world did not need them in their days. As our Rabbis taught: Rabbi Yehoshua ben Zariz (רבי יהושע בן זריז), the father-in-law of Rabbi Meir (רבי מאיר), testified before Rabbi (רבי) concerning Rabbi Meir that he ate a leaf of a vegetable in Beit She'an, and Rabbi permitted all of Beit She'an based on him. His brothers and his father's house joined against him and said to him, "A place where your fathers and your fathers' fathers practiced a prohibition, you practice a permission?" He expounded this verse for them: "'And he broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the children of Israel burned incense to it, and he called it Nehushtan.' Is it possible that Asa came and did not destroy it, Jehoshaphat came and did not destroy it, but did not Asa and Jehoshaphat destroy all the idolatry in the world? Rather, his ancestors left room for him to distinguish himself; for me as well, my ancestors left me room to distinguish myself." From here we learn regarding a Torah scholar who states a matter of halacha, we do not neglect him (maznihin), and some say we do not move him (mazihin), and some say we do not make him arrogant (mazhihin). He who says 'we do not neglect him'—as it is written, "For the Lord will not cast off (yiznah) forever." And he who says 'we do not move him'—as it is written, "And the breastplate shall not be loosed (yizach)." And he who says 'we do not make him arrogant'—as we learned, "When those of arrogant hearts (zehuhei) multiplied, disputes multiplied in Israel."