Free Choice
Free Choice
God created the world and he has the knowledge to know everything that is, was and will be. Where is our free choice? If G-d knows what will be then therefore we can not change what G-d already knows will happen. At times we speak of G-d as we speak of ourselfs- someone who lives in a world of time- a world of past, present, and future. We must understand that this is not so - G-d lives in a timeless world where today, yesterday and tomorrow are all one. If we make a choice today, comes tomorrow we can not change the choice we made today. We can make a new choice but yesterdays choice remains. G-d knows what choice we will make tomorrow because everthing in reference to time is one entity- time means nothing and has no limits. A fortune teller who is telling someone their future will take themselvs out of today and put themslevs into tomorrow in order to see what will happen tomorrow. G-d is the same way he is in today, tomorrow and yesterday all at the same time.
God created the world and he has the knowledge to know everything that is, was and will be. Where is our free choice? If G-d knows what will be then therefore we can not change what G-d already knows will happen. At times we speak of G-d as we speak of ourselfs- someone who lives in a world of time- a world of past, present, and future. We must understand that this is not so - G-d lives in a timeless world where today, yesterday and tomorrow are all one. If we make a choice today, comes tomorrow we can not change the choice we made today. We can make a new choice but yesterdays choice remains. G-d knows what choice we will make tomorrow because everthing in reference to time is one entity- time means nothing and has no limits. A fortune teller who is telling someone their future will take themselvs out of today and put themslevs into tomorrow in order to see what will happen tomorrow. G-d is the same way he is in today, tomorrow and yesterday all at the same time.
To further explain how we do have free choice and we do make our own decisions, When you are watching a movie, how are you able to sit and watch the movie in your house? There is a producer who takes all his ideas and puts them down on paper. Once all the ideas are on paper he choses and decides exactly which parts he wants to keep and which parts he wants to remove. When he is finished making all his correct choices he will then put the script into reality and make the movie. When it comes to creating and running the world G-d is the producer, he decides what to do,when to do it. When it comes to free choice we are the producers, we decide how we want our life to run, we make the choices and the decisions. G-d is the viewer, he is sitting and watching the movie. But he is not watching the movie for the first time, he is watching it for the second time. When he sits down to watch it he knows what will happen next because he saw it already. He only knows what our choice is going to be because he saw it already. We make the choices and decisions. You produce your life. G-d is watching. Go out there and make wise choices and right decisions.
posted by CET @ 12:43 AM
15 Comments:
At 12:10 AM,
Anonymous said…
the rambam asks something like this: if we have free choice than that suggests that Hashem isnt 'all powerfull' if we dont have free choice than what are we just pawns...?
the rambam doesnt answer this question prompting the Ritva to counter: if the Rambam wasnt answering the question than it is unprofesional for him to pen the question to begin with leaving the reader with no answer.
The Rebbe Z"ya explains that in Yidishkeit, the question is a question. We dont always need answers. That is what Chabad is...a intelectual approach to Judiasm... or how the Alter Rebbe put it "Derech Arucha Uktzara" cause sometimes you just gotto have the right question and all the answers fall away.
At 1:06 AM,
CET said…
Can you please elaberate on what you wrote? B/c by us having free choice that is not limiting Hashems ability to be "all powerful" We do have free choice- Bechirah Chofshis!
So if the Rambam would not leave us with an unanswered question then what is his answer?
And it is a hard topic to understand how can you say that a question does not always need an answer? A question especially one this deep most definitely does need an answer.
Chabad or not Chabad- questions need answers in order for us to fully understand. Aren't we suppose to understand in order to go out and spread this knowledge to others?
At 8:30 PM,
CET said…
Agreed that's what i was saying, There is no such thing as saying "just forget about it b/c not all questions have answers" the questions are out there so that we can learn, understand and ask more questions. The more we learn the more we will understand. The answers are all out there it's just a matter of going out and finding them. And when you do we gotta do our job and teach them to those who feel that there are no answers. It's all in the books- open them up and read!
At 12:45 AM,
shainamatel said…
in a way i agree and disagree. yes, a lot of times a person does want an answer, only bec thats normal to the human intellect..we want to know the answers for everything..but on the otherhand, not every question has an answer. maybe "science" and "technology" does, but especially in torah and chassidus...that is not so. the human mind is very limited..concerning the "mind of Hashem" ...so within a person's lifetime they are going to come across many questions that they long to search the answers to, but they cant find them..maybe cuz its nottttt there!!! people have to understand that-not all questions have answers..live with it..give ur boggled mind a rest for a change!!
At 1:01 AM,
CET said…
It's kinda like when you ask someone a question and they tell you i'll have to think bout it. There are questions that have to be thought about. And some questions you think and think and think and cannot find an answer, just because we in our state of mind can not find an answer that does not mean that the answer is not out there.
There are answers but our minds are not capable of understanding them.
At 3:33 PM,
CET said…
I actually had someone edit this article and there are some slight changes i have to make on what i wrote. I understood the concept when i was writing it but it is not so clear in the article. I will do so as soon as i get around to it. Hang in there! Thanx
At 7:42 PM,
Anonymous said…
well, of course they all have answers, just sometimes its hashem who has them and there is a line where the finite and the infinite does not reach; "ki lo machshevosai machshevoseichem".
About the questions being good enough themselves:
The alter Rebbe explains how it is near to an individual to love and fear hashem. in what manner does he explain this? Bederech Arucha Uktzra...
That is what ChaBaD is. A school of thought that brings warmth to the cold intellect. Where every aspect of Yidishkeit must be understood, and paradoxically; even when it cannot.
When there is a question...we question it. because sometimes when the question is a question-Derech Arucha, then the answers fall away-Uktzra.
At 7:56 PM,
Anonymous said…
and the Rambam doesn't answer the question precisely because of that reason.
a thought: Ad Mosai!? thats a question isnt it. Well lets hope that we dont have to wait for that answer either.
At 8:48 PM,
shainamatel said…
okkkkkkk waht i meant was that u guys are right...there are answers..but they just arent to us..cuz we have limited minds and all im saying is...sometimes u just have to accept the fact that your question CANNOT be answered..bec not every question can be...that what i was trying to bring across...hey...and this is a sem chick talking!!! hehe jk
At 11:10 PM,
CET said…
Well you are right that is a question and there is an answer in fact a very clear one. The answer is in our hands, G-d answered it now it's up to us, We know that the time is now but we have to make it now! So that does have an answer
At 11:11 PM,
CET said…
And yes there are answers that only hashem knows i guess but i think we just have a lot more learning to do and most of the questions we have we will find answers too.
At 7:58 PM,
Anonymous said…
its leeor here
i was reading this whole conversation here, and you all have true valid points.
i want to add something though.
the fact that we KNOW that we cannot answer (because of our lack of understanding) is in it itself our ANSWER. to know that you dont know evertyhing, is a step towards the solution. if u say that the reason we dont have answers is because we need to learn more,this is true, yet are you saying that a tzadik has no quesions??! this is absurd. some things hte human mind is NOT SUPPOSED TO KNOW. this is what diffrentiates between us and god.
the torah begins with the words god created the world- we say god- howeveer if we really would understand the true depth of what god is we wouldnt say it so simply-god created the world,rathter we would elaborate on it. BUT THAT IS NOT THE POINT! we need to cathc the point- know that GOD created it-and HE is somehting which we will never grasp-this makees hashem who he is, thsi is his defintion. period.
At 12:11 AM,
CET said…
True true. Knowing that you don't know everything is kinda an answer in its own. And no, tzaddikim do also have questions i'm sure but i believe that a lot of our questions will remain unanswered yet a lot of them if we learn more they will be answered- it is the wrong attitude to say well a) we are not tzaddikim so most of our answers will not get answered so why bother b)most of the quesitons do not have answers so why continue learning and trying to understand. I believe that we must continue to learn, and continue to search for answers, the things that get answered awesome the things that don't just keep on searching!
At 9:27 AM,
Anonymous said…
hey guys - this is great it has gotten me thinking let me tel ya
i read this yesterday and only thought of it since its good - it got me 'meditating'
so to me the concept of freedom of choice semms the self evident truth,
not only in chabad but in any religion across the world we humans are held responsible for our actions and we live wiht this 24/7. facing th consequences of it .
aside for kabbalists and theologisist(wtvr) have to say about it im sure The Rebbe has lots to say about it as well:
its the rebbes style to look at both words 'freedom ' and 'choice'
anyway - applying this to my life now
having accepted a job and commited to listed to authority is i guess relinquishing your freedom of choice and limitting it in such way.so whats wiht freedom of choice?...
and making a decision / choice with influence from anyone on the outside or with outside knowledge is not entirely freedom of choice.so basikally one's gotta make a decission based on nothing - from an empty brain i guess out of ignorance- ........
but if i were in fron of two doors one leading to good and one to hell and someone would tell me what s behind the doors (thats giving me some knowledge) but its still giving me freedom to choose which one to go to .......ok that s basically it from wht i wannted to say but ye it leaves me hanging and frrl free to oppose wht i came up wiht but u can help me even understand wht i said bec i cud be just having fun on the keyboard
is ignorance freedom??!?!?!? dont think so
- rochel dee
At 12:40 PM,
CET said…
Agreed the idea of free choice applies to everyone world wide, and we are held responsible for our action being that we chose our actions.
Chosing your job that you do now already goes under the definition of freedom of choice, you had a choice and this is what you chose to do.
You're freedom of choice is not limited you just have someone ontop of you-authority- who is kind of geering your choices to one direction over another. You can still chose what you want to do but b/4 you make your desision you have a lot more to think about, is this decision the right one based on where i am, who will be effected etc.
You have your brain full of knowledge and ideas and you have to make the right choices inorder to process your ideas into actions. Meaning whatever ideas you come up with you have the choice if you'd like to do them or not.
Let me know if you understand this at all, I'm trying to figure out how to elaberate without geting all phylisophical and mixing us all up.
Thanx 2 e/o for responding to my article and helping to clarify it for all of us!
Post a Comment
<< Home