משנה אבות א:טז

רַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל הָיָה אוֹמֵר, עֲשֵׂה לְךָ רַב, וְהִסְתַּלֵּק מִן הַסָּפֵק, וְאַל תַּרְבֶּה לְעַשֵּׂר אֹמָדוֹת

Mishna Avot 1:16

Rabban Gamliel said, make for yourself a Rabbinic authority, remove yourself from doubt, and don’t generally separate tithes based on (your own) estimation.

ספורנו על פרקי אבות

אף על פי שאמרו הרוצה לעשות כדברי בית שמעי עושה, כדברי בית הלל עושה, מפני שאלו ואלו דברי אלקים חיים, מכל מקום ראוי לך שתעשה לך איזה רב מיוחד, שתעשה לעולם כפי דעתו, ותורה כפי הוראתו, ובזה תסתלק מן הספק של מחלוקת באופן שלא יטה לבך לעשות לפעמים כדברי זה ופעמים כדברי זה, שעל כמו זה אמרו ז׳׳ל (עירובין ו:) ׳׳עליו הכתוב אומר, ׳והכסיל בחשך הולך׳׳׳ (קהלת ב:יד)

Sforno Commentary on Avot 1:16

Even though [our Sages] say “one that wants to follow the opinion of the House of Shamai may do, or follow the House of Hillel, because they are both words of the living God”, it is nonetheless appropriate to designate a specific rabbinic authority whose opinion one always follows and to whose halakhic decisions one implements. Through this, one will “remove oneself from doubt” of disagreements, in the manner of one who follows the leanings of his heart sometimes towards this opinion and sometimes towards that opinion. With regard to such a person, the Sages state (Eruvin 13b), “about him the verse says, ‘a fool walks in darkness’ (Kohelet 2:14)

What is the problem with shopping for different opinions? It is really inappropriate to seek out the opinion of different rabbis or experts? Why do the sages suggest that one who follows different opinions is like a “fool walking in darkness”?

I believe an analogy can help clarify the Sforno’s point. We consult doctors based on their expertise in medicine. On a practical basis, their expertise translates to helping us achieve greater health. Doctors, like experts in any field, can disagree. One doctor might be of the opinion that chocolate is healthy and red wine is not, while another doctor may hold the opposite. We can switch doctors to find someone we trust, whose advice we feel we can implement effectively. But if we simply pick and choose from the panoply of medical opinions available online, we are no longer implementing expert opinion. We’re just making up our own.

When this happens, the opportunity for expert consultation is thus wasted. Instead of pursuing greater health through consultation with one’s doctor, such a person is merely using the opportunity to reinforce their existing behavior. The doctor’s role has been reduced from giving advice on a healthy lifestyle, to rubber-stamping one’s current habits and behavior.

Judaism as a system tolerates differences of opinion. In fact, we codify these differences and study the intricacies of competing approaches. But in the realm of the practical, in the world of Halacha –Jewish law, we must choose a particular opinion to follow.

There is no inherent problem with consulting different rabbis. We may have different doctors based on their respective expertise, such as a general practitioner, a dermatologist, an ophthalmologist. But it would be different to always see two general practitioners and follow whichever opinion corresponded to our current lifestyle.

When we only accept opinions that fit our current values, we miss out and sidestep the potential impact of Torah on our lives. We study Torah and implement it in action with the aim of ennobling our values over time. We deny ourselves this primary benefit when we simply pick and choose.

In summary, we aspire to have a transactional relationship with Torah. We explore, investigate, and study its contents. We put these values into action whenever possible. It does require discipline, it does set boundaries, it does require sacrifice. But we hope that as a result, our ideas and opinions will evolve over time. Rabban Gamliel advises us to pick a specific authority and expert that we follow. Not because rabbis or human beings are infallible. But because the process of garnering expert consultation will benefit our development. We should utilize those with more experience and expertise, and not merely rely on our own personal estimation of what is correct (see Rashi and Rabbeinu Yonah). This will open us up to receiving Torah and the benefits implanted in it by our Creator.

רַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל הָיָה אוֹמֵר, עֲשֵׂה לְךָ רַב, וְהִסְתַּלֵּק מִן הַסָּפֵק, וְאַל תַּרְבֶּה לְעַשֵּׂר אֹמָדוֹת

Rabban Gamliel said, make for yourself a Rabbinic authority, remove yourself from doubt, and don’t generally separate tithes based on (your own) estimation.