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Shopping for Kulos (Leniencies)

A friend tells me he goes to different Rabbanim for different questions. He says I know whom to ask what. I would understand that Halacha does not depend on a personal feeling how is it possible to “shop around for a heter”.
My heart tells me this is wrong, but I’m not sure why.
Can you explain this a bit?

Answer:

It is not permitted to rely on different rabbis for different questions, searching for the lenient opinion in all matters.

One can only rely on a rabbi’s leniencies if one generally adopts his stringencies (see sources).

Sources:

It is not permitted to seek the most lenient opinion in each and every matter, and the Gemara (Rosh Hashanah 14a) states that one who takes on the leniencies of both Beis Hillel and Beis Shammai is a rasha (wicked). The same directive will apply to “shopping around for a heter” among different poskim.

However, it is permitted to follow the ruling of one’s rabbi, even when this is a leniency that other rabbis do not agree with (see Ran, Shabbos 130a). The Chazon Ish (Shevi’is 23:1) writes that this applies only to a rabbi whose ruiling one follows in “most matters.”

In general, one should try to find a rabbi that one resonates with, and abide by his rulings for all matters. Having said this, some rabbis are “experts” in particular fields, and if one rabbi is expert in niddah, and another in monetary matters, it is fine to follow each rabbi in his respective field of expertese.


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