Don’t shop around TB Eiruvin 7

Yesterday’s daf TB Eiruvin 6 tells a story about a crooked alleyway in the town of Neharde’a where the townspeople applied the stringencies of Rav that it is considered an alleyway opened up on both sides (מבוי מפולש) and the stringencies of Shmuel that needs a door on one side and either a cross beam, koreh, or a side post, lekhi, on the other side.

The Gemara is concerned about the inconsistency of this approach beginning on yesterday's daf and continuing on today's daf TB Eiruvin 7. “The Gemara poses a question: But do we adopt the respective stringencies of two authorities who disagree on a series of issues? Wasn’t it taught in a baraita: The halakha is always in accordance with the opinion of Beit Hillel, but one who wishes to act in accordance with the opinion of Beit Shammai may do so, and one who wishes to act in accordance with the opinion of Beit Hillel may do so. If he wishes to adopt both the leniencies of Beit Shammai and also the leniencies of Beit Hillel, he is a wicked person. And if he wishes to adopt both the stringencies of Beit Shammai and also the stringencies of Beit Hillel, with regard to him the verse states: “The fool walks in darkness” (Ecclesiastes 2:14). Rather, he should act either in accordance with Beit Shammai, following both their leniencies and their stringencies, or in accordance with Beit Hillel, following both their leniencies and their stringencies...

 “The Gemara suggests yet another resolution (to the internal contradiction in the baraita-gg): And if you wish, say instead that this is what the baraita is saying: Wherever you find two tanna’im or two amora’im who disagree with each other in the manner of the disputes between Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel, one should not act either in accordance with the leniency of the one Master and in accordance with the leniency of the other Master, nor should one act in accordance with the stringency of the one Master and in accordance with the stringency of the other Master. Rather, one should act either in accordance with both the leniencies and the stringencies of the one Master, or in accordance with both the leniencies and the stringencies of the other Master.” (Sefaria.org translation)

 In other words a person shouldn’t shop around and ask different rabbis for a halakhic answer. If you shop around for the most stringent opinion in any given case, you are a fool in the eyes of tradition. A lenient position is as valid position as a stringent one. If you shop around for the most lenient opinion in any given case, you are a wicked person in the eyes of tradition because you’re only looking for the easy way out.

A person should shop around for his/her personal Rabbi who has the same religious and halakhic approach as the individual. A Conservative Jew shouldn’t ask the Satmar Rebbe for a pasak halakha nor a Satmar hasid ask a Conservative rabbi for a pasak halakha. Their worldviews and approaches to halakha are so different that the questioner would never accept the rabbi’s decision. Once you find your Rabbi and ask him/her a question concerning Jewish law, you should accept his/her decision whether it’s lenient or whether it is stringent. To shop around after that decision in order to find one that is more to your liking is risking either being a fool or a wicked person. Khas veShalom.