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Can one decide to follow for example the Rambam's more rational Hashkafic approach and than the Ramban for other Hashkafic ideas even though they clearly disagree?

I've heard that by practical Halacha one can't go round looking for 'kulas'- leniencies and effectively pick and choose the poskim he likes. I was wondering whether this extends to Hashkafa, meaning one cannot go around choosing the ideas they like from every Rishon and Acharon they find.

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  • I'm not personally familiar with any obligation to pick a hashkafa in the first place. IMHO, building one on the basis of as much literature as possible is infinitely better than lifting one out of a book. And I think you'll find that's what both of the rishonim you've mentioned did as well.
    – Shimon bM
    Mar 20, 2015 at 4:38
  • Ah... I wrote a 25 page article on this topic (but not to answer this question directly)... To condense it into a few words: it's a machlokes (or meta-machlokes, considering the question)
    – הנער הזה
    Mar 20, 2015 at 6:53
  • Having a Rebbe and a mesora very much factors into this.
    – Shoel U'Meishiv
    Mar 20, 2015 at 8:22
  • To the extent that hashkafot are beliefs, the idea that one picks what one believes in is a little silly. You either believe it or you don't.
    – Double AA ♦
    Apr 18, 2022 at 15:21
  • This edition of the headlines podcast is probably relevant podcasts.google.com/feed/…
    – Moshe Steinberg
    Apr 18, 2022 at 16:34

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Hashkafa is something you get from a rebbi, not something you come up with yourself. So the problem wouldn't be that you can't pick and choose (thought that might be a problem, the problem is that YOU would be picking and choosing.

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  • What about picking a Rabbi?
    – kouty
    Apr 18, 2022 at 15:08
  • @kouty It goes by mesorah (tradition). So it would generally work that your rebbi/rosh yeshiva gives you over the haskafa they got from theor rebbi, who got it from their rebi, etc.
    – Kovy Jacob
    Apr 25, 2022 at 1:29

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