Laws of Repentance Chapter 5 — Free Will is Given to Every Person

Introduction: Structure of Laws of Repentance Chapters 5-10

Speaker 1:

Gentlemen, we are going to learn Laws of Repentance Chapter 5. So until now we have learned Laws of Repentance. Now we are going to begin learning two principles in the Rambam, and we are going to begin learning what is called “ikkarim haniggarim imah” (principles that are drawn along with it), certain principles, and therefore he explicitly calls it an ikkar (fundamental principle), which we are going to discuss. It is certain that he speaks of this. Perhaps there is another principle. I think that there are essentially two principles that are niggarim imah (drawn along with it), the principle called reshut (free will), which people like to call bechira (choice), but I have not found that the Rambam says the word bechira, the Rambam says reshut, and the second principle is the principle of reward and punishment. Very good.

So the Rambam told us in the last chapter that there are things that make it very difficult for a person to do teshuva (repentance), but he concluded that even though it is difficult, one can still do teshuva. So this leads very well into the principle we want to bring out, that in order to speak at all about teshuva, and teshuva is connected with the matter of reward and punishment, reward and punishment is only relevant if a person is the one who sins, if it lies in his hands the reshut to sin. If not, if a person did not have the reshut — as Reb Yitzchak said that the Rambam does not say the word bechira, but reshut — if the person did not have the reshut to sin, the punishment would not come to him. He goes into the principle that a person has the reshut, the power is in a person to sin or not to sin, and according to this there is reward and punishment.

The Rambam in Chapter 7, that is, here we said there are two principles, that is from Chapter 5 to 7 speaks about the topic of reshut, and in Chapter 7 he brings out: “Hoil vereshut kol adam netuna lo, yishtadel adam la’asot teshuva” (Since free will is given to every person, a person should strive to do teshuva). He makes the connection, this is the connection that he made, but he returns to the topic that one should do teshuva because of this.

After that, Chapters 8, 9, 10, these are three chapters that speak of the next principle, which is “hatova hatzefuna livnei adam” (the good that is hidden for people), which is the good that comes to the righteous. This is also, once we speak about reward and punishment, he goes to the greater topic of eternal reward and punishment, of the world of souls. He says the essential thing, just as in Laws of Repentance, he begins from the principle, from the foundation, afterwards he goes up to all the ways, details that can come up. Here it is also so, this is the foundation. The principle called reshut netuna lo (free will is given to him), and he brings out the branches that come out from this.

Now, there are three groups in Laws of Repentance, more or less. There is the group of Laws of Repentance Chapters 1 to 4, there is the group of reshut netuna lo Chapters 5 to 7, and there is the group of repentance and crying out for the righteous which is Chapters 8 to 10.

Structure of Chapter 5

Speaker 1:

So the Rambam says, and in this chapter, if I can see, it is divided into three parts, let’s say. The first thing the Rambam says is the essential fact. The essential fact that a person has reshut. Reshut, by the way, we say the word reshut, but the meaning of the word reshut means dominion, yes? Reshut doesn’t mean permission, reshut means rule, dominion. The person is his own master. Mastery, yes. The person’s actions belong to him. That is the thing. He goes through that it is so, and he goes against the other side why one would think otherwise, from the side of the thought that people think otherwise and that it is not correct.

Afterwards he goes into two questions that can be asked about this. He asks, he says people say, he doesn’t say just randomly, he doesn’t ask a question, he says, there is a reshut, a de’a ra’a (bad opinion) that fools say. Yes, he says fools say otherwise, and we will see exactly what they say and why they say otherwise. Afterwards he says two questions. One is, seemingly if a person conducts himself, why does Hashem need to conduct? One question. The second question is, seemingly Hashem knows, so how can it be that Hashem knows? The question he asks is the question on knowledge, not on the bechira, what we call bechira, not on the reshut. We will see in the two questions.

This is more or less the structure of the chapter, so we should know clearly what is going on. Okay.

Halacha 1: Free Will is Given to Every Person

Speaker 1:

The Rambam says a very beautiful chapter, deep matters, let’s learn it. The Rambam says, just as we learned in the beginning of Foundations of Torah, the Rambam was a great expert in saying things that are one hundred percent true every word, if one would stand truthfully, one would need to learn the Rambam much deeper, but we will be able to try to say all the words that he says to know what he stands for, which is already a great thing.

“Reshut kol adam netuna lo” (Free will is given to every person), the reshut over every person was given to him. That is, the reshut over a child or over a slave was given to the master. The reshut of the person lies with him himself. “Im ratza lehatot atzmo lederech tova velehiyot tzaddik” (If he wants to incline himself to a good path and to be righteous), if the person wants to change himself and move himself to a good path and become a tzaddik, “hareshut beyado” (the reshut is in his hand), the reshut lies in his hand, he can become a tzaddik, they let him. “Ve’im ratza lehatot atzmo lederech ra’a velehiyot rasha” (And if he wants to incline himself to an evil path and to be wicked), but if a person wants, he decides that he wants to be noteh (inclined), he wants to move himself to an evil path and wants to become a rasha (wicked person), “hareshut beyado” (the reshut is in his hand), he also has reshut in his hand.

Precision in the Rambam’s Language: “Lehatot Atzmo” — A Process, Not One Action

Speaker 1:

One must immediately be precise, the Rambam doesn’t say that a person can do what he wants. He says that if he wants to become a tzaddik — a tzaddik is a type of person — he must be noteh (inclined), he bends himself to the path, how? Through all the ways of Laws of Character Traits, of Laws of Repentance, and it is a fact he is a tzaddik. One doesn’t become a tzaddik with one action, but “lehatot atzmo” (to incline himself) can last very long. He doesn’t say how long, it could be that the “lehatot atzmo” is a long, long process. But it lies in a ratzon (will), to move oneself, every day to be a bit more noteh in the direction of being a tzaddik.

Precision: Distinction Between “Ratzon” and “Reshut”

Speaker 1:

“Im ratza” (if he wants) — ratzon is not the reshut. If he wants, he has the dominion to be able to do. The Rambam doesn’t say that a person wants what he wants. If he wants, he can do it. “Im ratza.”

Speaker 2:

I need to translate again what you mean to say.

Speaker 1:

I’m saying, the Rambam doesn’t say that a person does what he wants. The Rambam says that if he wants, he can. That is, there is sometimes that a person is conflicted, he wants but he doesn’t want. If he wants and he actually does it, he carries it out, he can arrive at the path of being a tzaddik. I’m just saying that the reshut is not the same thing as ratzon. Let’s be precise again in the language. It doesn’t say “ha’adam oseh ma sheyirtze” (the person does what he wants). It says that the person has a reshut that if he wants to be a tzaddik, no one can stop him. And he goes so not later. If he wants to be a rasha, he can become a rasha.

The Verse: “Behold, Man Has Become Like One of Us, Knowing Good and Evil”

Speaker 1:

The Rambam is the resolution of all the Torah. He is going to take here a verse in the Torah. This is what is written in the Torah, “Hen ha’adam haya ke’echad mimenu lada’at tov vara” (Behold, man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil), by the story of Adam Harishon in Gan Eden, it says there that after the person ate from the Tree of Knowledge, Hashem says that the person is now like one of the angels? “Hen ha’adam haya ke’echad mimenu.” The Rambam doesn’t go into who is the “mimenu,” so we can skip it. He is like one of those who are above in Gan Eden, to what? “Lada’at tov vara” (to know good and evil).

Yes. That is, the Rambam says so: “Hamin hazeh shel adam haya echad ba’olam” (This species of man was unique in the world). So, first of all, “ha’adam” doesn’t mean Adam Harishon, the specific person, but “ha’adam.” Before it says “ha’adam.” There is a rule that “adam” has two meanings. There is “adam” the proper name, the name of Adam Harishon, and “adam” also means the human species. And there is a rule, I think the Ibn Ezra notes it there, there is a rule that a proper name, a person’s name, cannot receive the definite article. One doesn’t say “haYitzchak” or “haYoel.” It doesn’t mean “the Yitzchak.” Yitzchak is he. The definite article can only be on a collective noun, on a thing, on a type of thing. Therefore it says “ha’adam,” it doesn’t mean Adam Harishon, it means the type of thing, the person, the type of thing called person, he is what?

That is, “Hamin hazeh shel adam haya echad ba’olam” (This species of man was unique in the world). “Ha’adam… ke’echad mimenu” is unique in the way, “ve’ein lo min sheni domeh lo bazeh ha’inyan” (and there is no second species similar to him in this matter), there is no other species in the world, there is no other species of living creature, “sheyihye hu me’atzmo uveda’ato uvemachshavto yode’a hatov veha’ra ve’oseh kol ma shehu chafetz” (that it should be that he himself, with his knowledge and with his thought, knows the good and the evil and does all that he desires). The person, the human species, is the only species in the world that me’atzmo (of himself), with his knowledge and with his thought, from his own reshut, from his own power, with his own knowledge and thought, can know the good or the evil, or knows the good and the evil, and can do what he wants, “ve’oseh kol ma shehu chafetz” (and does all that he desires).

Discussion: “Ve’oseh Kol Ma Shehu Chafetz” — The Person Can Do What He Wants

Speaker 1:

He can do what he wants, what his desire is, what he has a will for. Ve’ein lo mi she’ya’akov al yado me’la’asot hatov o hara (And there is no one who will restrain his hand from doing good or evil). And he doesn’t have anyone who will restrain him from doing good or evil. Ukhe’iyon shechen (And since this is so), and because of this the verse ends, since the person has the power, even though Hashem said not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge, but because the person does have the power to be able to choose himself, Hashem says, because of this one must think lest he send forth his hand and he will indeed take from the Tree of Life.

Speaker 2:

Yes, in other words, seemingly he means to say so, that if Hashem, if the person would… if Hashem could have stopped a person, he wouldn’t have needed to throw him out of Gan Eden, whatever the meaning is of the story. The Rambam doesn’t go into what is the meaning, but here we see that this is a thing that a person can do, and Hashem must as it were protect himself from what a person can do. Not that Hashem will stop him, because Hashem cannot stop a person. Because a person is indeed different from all other things. For example, if an animal must do something, Hashem doesn’t have a problem. He makes that the will of the animal should be, or he stops the animal directly. If a person… a person is different.

Speaker 1:

“Ke’echad mimenu ba’olam” I think means not in the entire world. I think “ba’olam” means in the lower world, the world that the Rambam calls the world that is under the heavens, not the world of angels, the higher things. On the contrary, there it is “ke’echad mimenu.” It’s interesting, the Rambam doesn’t translate “ke’echad mimenu” as like one of us. The Rambam translates “ke’echad mimenu” from him, he is the only one of the species of living creatures etc. The Rambam doesn’t translate…

Speaker 2:

You translate “ke’echad mimenu” as like one of us, one of the angels. You translate seemingly like the Rambam, because the Rambam doesn’t say that a person is similar to angels. That is another topic, perhaps he learns this in Chapter 4 of Foundations of Torah, the soul. But here the Rambam speaks of what the person is the only one in the world that he can do himself, and therefore even Hashem cannot… cannot be… cannot be in control of this. He himself is in control of this.

Speaker 1:

This is the verse. But the Rambam must bring a verse, he likes to bring on every thing a verse. So the verse that it says that reshut is given to man is the verse that “ha’adam haya yode’a tov vara” (man was knowing good and evil). “Yode’a,” as we know, “yode’a” doesn’t mean only to know, “yode’a” means… the Rambam put in many words to translate everything into this “yode’a tov vara,” not simply that he knows, but that he himself knows and therefore he does which he wants, something like that. He knows good and evil, but he can also choose evil. Or good, both. He chooses good because he knows that it is good. He is the one who knows good and evil, not someone who is something else, as he will say.

Halacha 2 — “Let Not Pass Through Your Mind This Thing That Foolish Gentiles and Most of the Ignorant of Israel Say”

The Language “Al Ya’avor Bemachshavtecha” — When the Rambam Says a False Thing

Now the Rambam is going to say exactly what he means to the contrary, exactly what he means to the contrary. The Rambam says, you can think in thought, he says, you should not think a foolish thought, “al ya’avor bemachshavtecha” (let not pass through your mind). Always when the Rambam says a false thing, he doesn’t say “al tomar” (do not say), because one can say it God forbid, but “al ya’avor bemachshavtecha,” you should not think, a person should not let it pass through the mind, he should not focus on it. As we learned in Chapter 1, when the Rambam says an error, he never says a language, because truly, one can only think the truth, a falsehood cannot enter into thought. He doesn’t mean to say a prohibition that one should not think about this, he means to say that this is a type of thing that is outside of thought, because one after the other.

“Foolish Gentiles and Most of the Ignorant of Israel” — Who Does the Rambam Mean?

You should not err with the thing “she’omrim tifshei ha’umot verov golmei bnei Yisrael” (that foolish gentiles and most of the ignorant of Israel say), you should not think like the fools of the nations and most of the ignorant of Jews, and most of the fools of the Jews. And on gentile fools he says fools, on Jews he says that they are not yet finished, they are not yet finished thinking. A Jew is finished, because a Jew has arrived at perfection, and knows the truth.

Seemingly I think to say so, seemingly I want to say I think to translate, foolish gentiles means all the official belief of the nations. As we learned in other places, the official belief of the nations, not of the Muslims, what the Christians believe is perhaps more similar, but the official belief of the, the Rambam calls them the Chaldeans, but a part of them there is a dispute among them, but the majority of them, which is called Ashera as the Rambam brings, officially hold that the person has no bechira, no reshut. Officially they hold that Hashem makes people righteous and wicked. Yes, there is a question, how can there be reward and punishment? They struggle with the question, but they say officially so. The foolish gentiles means seemingly the foolish nations, or the foolish nations, where nations doesn’t mean here a people, it means perhaps like a religion. Their official belief, official doctrine is that Hakadosh Baruch Hu decrees. And of Israel it is only most, only the ignorant. That is, as things are among the wise, the sages of Israel don’t think so, but the ignorant of Israel, most of them.

Discussion: What Does “Most of the Ignorant of Israel” Mean?

Does most ignorant of Israel mean that most Jews are ignorant who think so? Or does he mean most Jews, the ignorant of most of Israel, or most of the fools among the Jews?

I think it means that most… that most Jews. He held that most Jews err so?

English Translation

11. Because look what he says. I mean like this, because most people, golem (unfinished person) is most people. There are a few wise people and many unfinished people. And it… it takes many more years to be a golem, because when one is finished, one stops being a golem. Golem means not yet finished. Yes, but there is a possibility for each person, because every person can be a wise person, which is true. But the Rambam also held that people chose to be foolish and unfinished.

“That the Holy One, Blessed be He, decrees upon a person from the beginning of his creation to be righteous or wicked” — The False View

But because they chose to be foolish, they have false beliefs. What do they say? They say that the Holy One, Blessed be He, decrees upon a person from the beginning of his creation, when the Almighty creates a person He decrees upon him to be righteous or wicked. He doesn’t give him permission to be righteous or wicked, rather He decrees upon him, that the permission lies only in the hands of the Holy One, Blessed be He. Says the Rambam, this is not so, and this thing is foolishness. It’s not so, it’s not true.

“Rather, each and every person is fit to be righteous like Moses our teacher or wicked like Jeroboam”

Rather, each and every person, every single person, is fit, meaning he has permission. Fit, it’s possible. It lies in his hands, he has the possibilities, the capabilities. Fit doesn’t mean permission, fit means it’s possible. He has the potential, he has the ability to be righteous like Moses our teacher, or wicked like Jeroboam. He can be a righteous person like Moses our teacher, or a wicked person like Jeroboam.

Discussion: What does “righteous like Moses our teacher” mean?

He doesn’t mean to say a prophet like Moses our teacher or a wise person like Moses our teacher, but he can choose good like Moses our teacher.

Why did he say that? Because he says righteous like Moses our teacher. Did Moses our teacher become a prophet by himself? From himself alone? From the Almighty? The Almighty gave him a greater level in prophecy than to others. Did the Almighty decree, or because Moses our teacher did so? Okay, that’s a discussion in itself.

He says that one shouldn’t ask this question. What the Rambam says here he says clearly, when he says righteous, he doesn’t mean the fine points that you’re saying. No, the Rambam says, don’t think that Moses our teacher or Jeroboam – the Almighty made Moses our teacher become what he became. Moses our teacher made himself into Moses our teacher. Jeroboam made himself into Jeroboam. And from the perspective of a person, every person can be… when he says fit, let’s not ask questions, let’s try to understand what he’s saying, because on everything one can ask questions and make – he doesn’t get to the main good that he’s saying.

Free Choice Regarding Righteousness, Wisdom, and Character Traits

Every person can be righteous or wicked. Or every person can be wise or foolish, meaning he will use his intellect that he has in a good way, that his wisdom should grow, he should incline his mind toward the way of wisdom, or foolish. Merciful or cruel, a person can habituate himself to mercy or to cruelty. Stingy or generous, a person can adapt himself to stinginess or to generosity, nobility. And so with all other character traits. And so with all other traits. That means the Rambam has included here character traits and wisdom.

The choice and permission exists on everything, both on righteousness and wickedness, both on wisdom and foolishness, and both on character traits. Righteousness and wickedness itself has two types of righteousness and wickedness. One is from virtues of character traits which the Rambam calls in the Eight Chapters, one is intellectual virtues. Intellectual virtues doesn’t mean to be born with a smart head. He only wants to say, one can develop wisdom, one can acquire wisdom. Knowing the truth, yes. Wisdom is by a wise person, one who learns is a wise person, he knows the truth. A fool is one who is ignorant, he doesn’t know the truth.

Discussion: Does the Rambam mean that a person is fifty-fifty?

And he doesn’t have, yes, okay, let’s not stop, but I say it’s very clear that he doesn’t mean to say that a person is fifty-fifty, as he will explain in Hilchot De’ot. There is a person who has a certain greater inclination toward stinginess, but he still has the permission to change himself, to move himself. The proof doesn’t mean to say that from the fact that you say that from the perspective of a person can begin a different type of nature. The point is that from the perspective of who is the master over this? With whom is the permission? The permission is to become both.

“And he has no one who compels him, nor decrees upon him, nor draws him to one of the two paths”

And he has no, says the Rambam, and he has no one who compels him, a person doesn’t have anyone who forces him, nor decrees upon him, no one decrees upon him, nor draws him to one of the two paths, there isn’t anyone who draws a person to one of the two ways, rather he himself, the person from himself alone, what is in him, and from his own mind, from his own understanding, inclines to whichever path he wishes, he inclines to the way as he wants, as he chooses to go. Of course, a person can be drawn by his friends, but he also has the choice over which friends he should befriend, etc.

Drawing means according to what is written in Hilchot De’ot, that sometimes a person has an attraction. You say, you have an attraction, but for the attraction you are also yourself responsible. No one drags you, you drag yourself. There is attraction, there isn’t fixedness, a person cannot force himself, okay, but attraction exists. But you yourself are drawn from your own mind, inclines. The inclination makes an attraction, that if he turns with such people, he can be drawn to such people and the like.

The Second Verse — “From the mouth of the Most High do not come evil and good” (Lamentations 3:38)

On this there is also a verse. That means, there are two things. The first thing, on the fact that a person has permission there is a verse, “Behold, man has become like one of us lest he stretch out his hand”, one sees that a person has permission. Afterwards, on the fact that no one decrees upon him and no one makes him go any way, there is also a verse. What does it say? “It is Jeremiah who said, from the mouth of the Most High do not come evil and good”, from the Almighty who dwells on high, from the Almighty doesn’t come the evil and good of people, he translates. It’s not bad events or good events upon creation.

Ah, okay. Ah, one doesn’t say bad weather or hot weather. He says evil and good of people, meaning, the Creator does not decree upon a person neither to be good nor to be bad. The Almighty didn’t take away from the person the permission and keep it for Himself, rather on the contrary, the Almighty gave to the person the permission himself to become good or bad.

“It turns out that the sinner has caused loss to himself — therefore it is fitting for him to weep and lament”

He says so, “And since this is so”, as the verse says, “this being the truth”, that this is the truth, it comes out for example relevant to us, it comes out, “it turns out that the sinner has caused loss to himself”. A person who is a sinner, it’s not relevant that a decree came upon him that he should be a sinner, rather he himself caused loss to himself, he himself made corruption. “Therefore it is fitting for him to weep and lament”, we learned earlier that anguish and weeping is something that is good for a penitent. One who is a sinner, if it would have been that the Almighty made him a sinner, he would perhaps have had to accept the decree with love. But since he did it himself, it is fitting for him, again “fitting for him”, he also has the permission. “Fitting for him” here doesn’t mean the same type of “fitting”, here it means it’s appropriate, it’s good that he should do. He simply brings the verse, “to weep and lament over his deeds that he did to his soul and dealt badly with it”, he made bad for himself.

The Meaning of “Why should a living person complain, a man about his sins”

“And this is what is written afterwards”, this is what it says further in the verse, “Why should a living person complain, a man about his sins”. Because we know that “from the mouth of the Most High do not come evil and good”, not the Almighty made the evil and good. If it would have come from the Almighty, what does a person have to blame himself? What does a person have to cry about? Perhaps one could still pray. But now when one knows that the person did it himself, there is indeed a place for lamenting, for complaining about oneself, for weeping over oneself. “Why should a living person complain”, why should a person weep? Because “a man about his sins”. He translates as “a man about his sins” is the answer to “why should a living person complain”. About what can a person at all complain? About what can a person lament? About “a man about his sins”, a person can lament about his sins that he himself chose badly.

I had thought that he means to say don’t complain about the Almighty, rather “a man about his sins”. That’s how I always used to think that this is the meaning of the verse. But the Rambam figured that the Rambam says here that “he should lament”.

Discussion: Rashi’s Translation in Lamentations

What is Rashi’s translation? “Why should complain”? About what should a person lament? “About his sins”. That’s what he said. “Why should complain”? About what should he lament? About his sins. Rashi translates like the Rambam, yes, Rashi here in Lamentations.

Law 1 (Continued) — Rashi’s Two Interpretations of “Why should a living person complain”

Ah, Rashi is a bit different. Rashi speaks here apparently about like bad things that happen to him. He should know that it comes because of his deeds. It’s not like we didn’t take Rashi’s interpretation. But in any case, the “why should a living person complain, a man about his sin”, that this is such a thing. He brings, yes, he brings such an interpretation. Another interpretation, a second interpretation of Rashi is the Rambam’s interpretation.

That Rabbi Yochanan said, the day that the Holy One, Blessed be He, said “Behold, man has become like one of us”, the ministering angels eulogized before Him. According to the Rambam it’s not on that day, it’s always. It’s with every person. That the Almighty grieves over most people.

Okay, it’s a bit different. He doesn’t speak of “why should a living person complain”, but in any case, therefore “why should a living person complain, a man about his sin”. Basically, this is an answer for the rest of Lamentations, right? The whole until now one weeps in Lamentations how it was a tragedy. The answer is that we ourselves sinned.

The Rambam’s Translation: “Why should complain” — Weep over your own sins

We weep about one thing, about one thing you should weep, but mainly about yourself. That this is what the Rambam writes, “and weep over the destruction of your house and over the destruction of your Temple”, but this itself was. The Rambam translates the verses this way. “About what did we sin” doesn’t come bad things, one speaks that a person should himself take responsibility and weep over his own sins.

Why does he say, about this the next verse speaks about repentance. Why? “And the permission is not in our hands”, the permission is in our own hands, “and from our mind and will we did all these evils”, all bad things we did from our own choice, from our own understanding, “it is fitting for us to return in repentance and leave our wickedness”, there is a place for doing repentance, turning back, and leaving our bad ways.

Innovation: “That the permission is still in our hands” — Even after sinning

Why? “That the permission is still in our hands”, the permission is still now in our hands. This is apparently another innovation, that you might have thought that there is sometimes a person who sees that there is such a thing that he cannot do repentance. But the essence of permission says that one can still, you still have the permission.

“And we have the power”, and about this it says “let us search and examine our ways”, let us again begin to search our ways. Because there is such a person who thinks that he no longer has the ways. Let us search our ways and examine, and the verse says, let us search our ways and examine, let us search his ways. Now he says, you still have a choice, and examine, and you should investigate this, and let us return to Hashem. You can do repentance.

That means, the verse speaks to the people who think they don’t have any choice. He says, no, because on these things my eye grieves and weeps, and because this is so, it’s only weeping over your transgressions, and in order now to do repentance. This is the next verse, let us search our ways, and consequently, let us do repentance.

Precision in “to Hashem” — The greatness of permission after sinning

Says the Rambam, I see clearly that the conclusion is repentance, the thing that the topic of permission, from this comes out repentance, is in the verse. Apparently there is also here a precision in the word “to Hashem”. As if, if you can do repentance, you can now go up to Moses our teacher, you can now go very high, not you can become a drop better. Even after sinning you still have a strong permission.

Summary: Two foundations that we have learned

Okay, we have learned, let’s make clear, we have learned two things already. First of all, that a person has permission. Second, that no one prevents him, consequently he himself is guilty, on this was the verse. Now he’s going to begin to explain that the topic is indeed an important topic.

Law 2 — “A great principle and it is the pillar of the Torah and the commandment”

Says the Rambam, “And this principle, it is a great principle, and it is the pillar of the Torah and the commandment”. The principle, the thought, the knowledge, the belief, is a great principle, it’s a very great principle, like the pillar of the Torah and the commandment, it’s the pole upon which stands Torah and commandment.

Two types of pillars by the Rambam

Let’s remember, it was in chapter 1 of Foundations of Torah written that there is the foundation of foundations and pillar of wisdom. The existence of God is the pillar of wisdom, the pillar of knowledge. Now there is a different type of pillar. The principle of permission is not a pillar of wisdom, it’s not the topic of knowing the truth, and regarding this it’s perhaps not the principle, but it is the principle regarding Torah and commandment.

Because Torah and commandment is that he wants indeed to become a better person, and on this stands, everything stands on the topic of permission. Because apparently, when a person will think that he is bad because the Almighty made him bad, he can never do repentance, he can never begin to do Torah and commandments. Because he knows that he can always begin, he can always begin to do repentance and begin to keep Torah and commandments.

The Verse “See, I have placed before you today”

As it is said, because of this it says in the verse, “See, I have placed before you today life and good, and death and evil”. I give to you, I have given to you, I have given you the permission, on life and on good, and on death and on evil.

And here one also sees that it is the pillar of the Torah and the commandment, because this is indeed the topic here, that consequently there is the commandment of “and you shall choose life”. Or do you think that through the fact that a person will do good he will receive life? Yes, because the whole topic of permission is indeed an introduction to the topic called reward and punishment, that the deed from the fact that he’s going to explain soon that through this he will have eternal life, the soul will pass over after… to a life in this world.

Precision in “I have given” — Not just “before you” but “given”

The innovation is that life in this world also is a… permission I have given to you, it’s only placed before you. I don’t mean only I lay before you, rather I give you. I have given it to you. As if, all permission is with the Almighty, but the Almighty has transferred to us the permission. It is given, it is placed in creation that the person should have the permission over himself.

“Whatever a person desires to do from the deeds of people he does”

Whatever a person desires to do from the deeds of people he does, everything that is within the realm of human deeds a person can do, whether good or bad. Good, you can’t dance to the heavens, because it’s not a human deed. A person is a lower person, if choice is also can, but choice means what people can do. If you see a person who has done it, it’s simple that it’s a human thing, and you’re not exempt from it.

Law 3 — “Who would give that their heart be thus for them”

One knows the matter of “Who would give that their heart be thus for them”. After the giving of the Torah it says in Deuteronomy when Moses our teacher speaks about and discusses about the giving of the Torah, the Almighty says, the Almighty says if only, “who would give” that Jews should always have the heart that they had after the giving of the Torah, the fear of Heaven that they had after the giving of the Torah they should always have.

What does it mean that the Almighty says “if only”?

What does it mean that the Almighty says if only? The Almighty, if we would have believed that everything is only in the hand of the Holy One, Blessed be He, there isn’t any place for if only. What’s the practical difference? The Creator does not compel people. The Almighty doesn’t force any people to go in a certain way, rather the Almighty made that people should have themselves the permission.

Consequently, because the Holy One, Blessed be He, does not compel people, does not decree upon him to do good or bad, He prefers to leave their will in their own hands, consequently the Almighty says “who would give”, it would be wonderful, if only.

Why does one need the second verse?

English Translation

The verse is very similar to the verse of “See, I place before you.” The Rambam brings two verses on the same subject. Earlier he brought it regarding the greatness of man, now he brings it regarding Torah and mitzvos. “Who would give that their heart be thus,” as the Almighty wishes, He says “if only.” He understands that what He says also helps us, He is arousing us in this matter. But He only brings out that the Almighty does not negate our free choice. He doesn’t say “I will do,” He says “if only you would do.”

It’s very interesting, where does the verse come from? “Who would give that their heart be thus.” There is a Gemara about this, that “mi yiten” means “if only.” But there is about this some midrash that one should say “mi yiten” and not “mi yiten.”

The question is indeed, because simply we see in the Torah that all the commentators, like the Rambam, the Ibn Ezra, they all learn that this is the plain meaning. Perhaps it’s very interesting, perhaps I’m thinking too much, perhaps the earlier verse of “See, I place before you today” wasn’t enough. Perhaps a person could have thought that this applies before the giving of the Torah, but regarding Torah and mitzvos He does decree something. No. When the Almighty gave the Torah, the giving of the Torah doesn’t mean He forced us to keep the Torah. He gave the Torah, but He gave us with the Torah still the authority for us to decide whether we should go with the Torah or not.

If No Free Choice — Torah and Mitzvos Fall Away

Now the Rambam goes to explain why this is a foundation of Torah and mitzvos. He explains this with the verse of “See, I place before you,” that one must understand that a person himself decides to be a tzaddik or a rasha, and afterwards he receives the reward and punishment, the good and evil, etc. He says that with the knowledge that a person has free choice within himself, only with this knowledge does one understand so many foundations in the Torah.

Two Types of Errors — Two Types of Enemies of Free Choice

He says thus: “If God decreed upon man to be a tzaddik or a rasha, or if there were something that draws man by necessity from his birth to any of the paths,” if this were something that draws the person essentially from his birth, from his birth onward, from his nature, from when he is born, a path from among the paths, it’s a certain way from among ways, or an opinion from among opinions, or certain beliefs or understanding certain ways, or an opinion means wisdom, right? Wisdom, yes, a certain thinking a certain way, or an opinion from among opinions, which will lead to certain character traits, certain habits, or an action from among actions, to do certain actions, as the fools imagine in their hearts, fools, as they think it out from their own hearts, the people who choose to believe, astrologers, people who think that all power lies in the celestial causes.

Yes, very good, very good. In other words, who is it that says this? Earlier, there are two types of people that the Rambam is against both. There is one group of people who say thus, God decrees upon man, these are certain religions that say this, or certain people, foolish people, foolish Jews, say that the Almighty, the Almighty decrees, this is one approach.

Then there are the fools, the astrologers, perhaps this is more what disturbs the Jews, because they don’t believe that the Almighty says so, but there are people who say, I know whether that one will be a tzaddik, because he was born with such and such a mazal, and one who was born with such and such a mazal, he becomes a tzaddik, or vice versa.

“Toldato” Means Nature/Mazal

And this he translates with the beginning of his creation, not with the beginning of his creation, but his birth, when he was born, he was born with this mazal or… But in any case toldato means his nature, the nature, who makes the nature? The mazalos, the astrologers, they, one of the reasons why the Rambam was against the astrologers is only about this, that the astrologers say that they can see in the stars whether the person will be a tzaddik, they can see in the stars, and the stars make it according to his nature, and the nature makes him to be a tzaddik or a rasha.

If So — Prophecy, Torah, Rebuke Fall Away

If so, if this were true, how can I say that God commanded the prophets, how can I say that the Almighty commanded the prophets, do this and don’t do that, and we learned earlier that the work of the prophets is to rebuke the Jews, they give rebuke, how could the Almighty have given rebuke at all? And this is what the verses say, “Make good your ways and don’t do evil in your deeds,” do good, do teshuva, how is this relevant if we would have believed in this error?

It would be blocked, there would be an argument from the beginning of his creation. It is already decreed upon him, but a person is already decreed to be so. “The foolishness of man” or his nature draws him to something from which he has no escape, from which he cannot get away. And what place would all the Torah have had, what place would the entire Torah have had that the prophets gave us, that they come to tell us rebuke,

Three Proofs from Torah for Free Choice

And not only the prophets, because the prophets give rebuke based on the Torah, but also the entire Torah itself, that there are mitzvos, and there are warnings, that you can do it, and you can not do it.

Further, another proof, another point: And with what justice and with what law, with what fairness, with what logic of justice, can we punish the wicked, can one punish the wicked, take away the debt from the wicked, or pay reward to the tzaddik, or pay reward to the tzaddik, if it is decreed upon him? It would be unjust, because the free choice is not in the hand of the person. Is this what it says “Shall the Judge of all the earth not do justice?” That the Almighty, who is the Judge of all the earth, doesn’t do justice? He gives people reward and punishment unjustly?

So this piece is both an explanation of the verse “See, I place before you,” meaning, since I give it to you, the free choice is with you, then the good and evil, which is the reward and punishment, is because of you, not because of Me, the Almighty is not guilty.

The Structure of the Three Proofs

And it’s also another proof, it’s another proof, two proofs, it’s another proof from the Torah. That is, we bring two proofs already from the Torah, that there is free choice. He brings two proofs. Now he brings a third proof, not only from certain verses, but from the entire idea of Torah.

If there is a Torah and there are prophets, it must be that the Torah is correct, that there are prophets. That is, this is another proof from what is already stated in the Torah, that there are prophets. This is not a proof in itself, this is a proof from the Torah. If the Torah said that there is, make yourself that you should be good, it must be that the Torah is correct.

There are two parts to this: one, that the Torah wouldn’t be correct, and two, that there would be no justice. Is it just to punish a person because he was born with a bad mazal? A bad mazal he has nothing to do with, so he’s not guilty. If he’s not guilty, he shouldn’t be guilty.

The Question: “Whatever Hashem Desires He Does in Heaven and Earth”

A person will ask a question, wonder, people always wonder like this. A person can wonder such a frightening thing. You’re saying now that man has complete free choice over his actions. Who is the master? Who is the master? Who is the lord? Ah, the person.

You’re saying, you’re taking away with this a great power from the Almighty. The Almighty is the ruler over the world, the Almighty is the Master of the Universe. You’re saying that all the actions of people are in their hands. The actions of people have such a huge part of the world. You’re taking away as if, so to speak, you’re taking away a great power from the Almighty.

He says, a person who will wonder, “How can man do whatever he desires, and his actions be given over to him, and doesn’t anything happen in the world without the permission of his Creator and without His desire?” Can one do things in the world without permission from the Creator, from the Almighty who is the Owner of heaven and earth, the Creator, the Creator, the master, without His desire?

“And it is written, isn’t it said ‘Whatever Hashem desires He does in heaven and earth.’” The verse says, “Whatever Hashem desires He does in heaven and earth.” Everything that the Almighty wants He can do, both in heaven and on earth. Earth means presumably the people who are here in control of the earth.

Two Possible Interpretations of the Verse

Yes, so he perhaps interprets the verse that it says “All that is in heaven and earth” is “the desire of Hashem He does.” Perhaps this is indeed the interpretation. I could have interpreted, the Almighty can do what He wants. Not the Almighty can do what He wants, but everything that happens in heaven and earth is the desire of Hashem. Or all the actions of heaven and earth are the desire of Hashem. As the Rambam…

The Rambam’s Answer: Free Choice as Human Nature

So the Rambam’s answer is that the question doesn’t begin, because this is indeed what the Almighty wants. The Almighty wants that on earth the people should do. Read what he says.

The Rambam says, “Know that the answer is that everything is done with the will of the Exalted One.” You should know, the answer is that everything is indeed done with the will of the Almighty. “Even though our actions are given over to us.” Also with His permission. Even though the actions were in our hands, this itself is the will of Hashem. The Almighty indeed gave over the actions into our hands. The Almighty made everything. He made that our actions are given over to us.

The Parable of Fire and Wind

“How? Just as the Creator desired that fire and wind should rise upward,” just as the Almighty wanted, just as the Almighty placed in creation that fire and wind should go up, and water and earth should go down, as he already said earlier in the Laws of the Foundations of Torah.

Because the sphere the Almighty made that it should revolve, like a circle should go around forever in a circle, besides the rest of the creation of the world, without any interruption. So too when the Almighty made all the celestial bodies and forces in the world, the Almighty made a certain way how they should always be. And also on the other creations of the world He made a custom that the heart should be the great need, and so on.

The Concept of “Teva” — “Custom That He Desired”

In other words, this is a word for nature. The Almighty gave each thing its nature, each thing has its nature. The Rambam calls this “a custom that He desired.” Each thing has its nature, and this is what it is. What is it for fire, that it should go up. What is it for the creation of the world, like each one according to its nature.

Just as He made the nature of the sphere that it should always go in a circle, so He made the nature of man that he should always have his own power, his own free choice. Free power.

So the Almighty wanted, “that man should have free choice in his hand,” that a person should have free choice in his hand, “and all his actions are given over to him,” he should be the master of choice over his actions. “And he should have neither a coercer nor a drawer,” he should not have a coercer, not a forcer, and not a drawer, not one who draws him. “But he himself with his own mind that God gave him does whatever a person can do.” But with his own free choice and his own mind that the Almighty gave him, a person can do everything he wants, everything he can do.

The Interpretation of “Whatever Hashem Desires He Does in Heaven and Earth” — Nature of Heaven and Nature of Earth

He would interpret “Whatever Hashem desires He does in heaven and earth,” that in heaven He made the nature of heaven, and on earth the nature of heaven. This is all the desire of Hashem. What is the nature of earth? That on earth man should do his things. This is the nature of man. Just as on earth there are many more actions, a person is special that he said “human power.”

Digression: The Rambam’s Approach to Nature — Against Popular Understanding

In other words, the answer to the question how can it be that human action is not in him, is that there is generally the same answer as there can be for each thing a nature.

People think… The Rambam has already answered that question, and one must add to this again some certain note to understand. Because for people, for people it’s very difficult that same thing. Most people don’t grasp that either.

Most people would say, why does fire go up? The Almighty makes it go up, or the nature of fire makes it go up? Which?

Reb Shabtai says thus, they need to understand that according to how the Rambam learns that there is such a thing as the nature of fire, it’s true, not the Almighty makes it, or you can say not directly. The Almighty made the nature of fire, but now the nature of fire makes it go up, and not the Almighty makes it.

And certainly the Almighty made, the Almighty wants, the Almighty made the nature of fire, and since then it always goes so. Not since then, it’s not any simple way to say, because but in any case, the Almighty still makes. The Almighty makes that there should be a nature of fire, but He doesn’t make that the piece of fire should go up. He makes that fire has such a nature that it goes up.

The Difference Between Fire and Man — Both Have a Nature

But fire doesn’t have any choice, it doesn’t have any free will, it can’t decide tomorrow to go differently, because fire is something that doesn’t change. But a person precisely is indeed something that does change, it’s something that he can today go this way, but the whole thing that he can today go this way and he can go that way, from the side that there is a certain nature that lies in man, is no different than the nature that lies in fire. One is a different type of nature.

A person has a different type of nature, the power of choice, it’s interesting that he can himself sometimes he goes up, sometimes down. Fire can only go up, and air, which is earth, can only go down. A person can go up and down at his will, but that he can, the entire ability, the entire nature, is a nature of man, human nature, but this is not…

The Rambam’s Approach: Nature and the Almighty Are Not a Contradiction

Therefore, just as here, whatever the answer is, or not whatever the answer is, as with the Rambam it appears to you that you understand yourself that it can be, but most people don’t understand it. Most people think that if there is nature there is no Almighty, and the Almighty can only be the salvation of Hashem in the blink of an eye, miracles all the time.

But the Rambam doesn’t hold so. The Rambam holds that there is nature, and the Almighty made the nature. The Almighty doesn’t want that He should make the thing directly, the Almighty wants that nature should make it. Just as the Almighty doesn’t want that people should make directly, He wants people should have their free choice.

If so, what does it mean that a person goes against the Almighty? The Almighty wants that people should be able to do what they want.

Reward and Punishment as Part of Nature

Therefore, now we understand what he’s going, why there is room for reward and punishment. Therefore we give to him according to his actions, if he did good we do good to him, and if he did evil we do evil to him.

Because it could be that he means to say this, that this is also part of nature. And the nature is that He gives people the free choice, and the result that comes from this is already also that he will receive good for the aspect that he was good.

Discussion: Reward and Punishment as Nature — A Novel Point in the “Therefore”

Ah, you say very interesting indeed, because I have here a simple question. The Rambam already said this once, in Parshas Bechukosai he already said that about this there is reward and punishment. Suddenly he asked a question about free choice, again he mentions the topic of reward and punishment. There’s some duplication, it appears twice.

You say that the secret is, the Rambam means to say that nature also includes the nature of reward and punishment. It’s simple that there is a nature that a person has free choice in his hand to act, part of the free choice is, what does “from your hands was this to you” mean? Simply, your actions cause the… The chooser chooses in evil action and in evil consequence.

No, good. As if the reward is also not the Almighty directly, it’s also a part of nature. Not like the Rambam who says that reward and punishment is a miracle, for example. Here it’s very clear that reward and punishment is the consequence, it’s part of… not in other words consequence, but one can say the consequence is, it’s in order to make reward and punishment.

It’s not in order. If when a person would be compelled there wouldn’t be any reason to give reward and punishment. One can’t say that it’s in order because there is free choice. What you’re adding here is that it’s at minimum more than that. That not only is it in order, but it actually comes out from this.

Because the wheel turns and goes around, there happen many more things that are drawn from this. But this is all a part of the nature of the wheel turning and going around. And the nature of the fact that people can choose brings with it one of the things that good brings good and evil brings evil.

The Language “Metivah Lo / Meri’ah Lo” — Nature, Not Direct Providence

And the language here is “tovah metivah lo, ra’ah meri’ah lo”. It’s all a part of this verse. And “tovah metivah lo” one can say means, nature is metivah lo, not only the Almighty is metivah lo. All of these, I who am built into nature, so that the good is metivah lo and the evil is meri’ah lo.

The Verses from Yeshayahu — “Miyedeichem Hayetah Zot Lachem” and “Gam Hemah Bacharu Bedarkheihem”

Just as it says in the verse, Yeshayahu the prophet says, “umiyedeichem hayetah zot lachem”. The punishment that happened to you happened from your hands. Ah, the problem is why does it say there “lachem”. Ah, the problem is why does it say there “lachem”. In any case, here I understood.

And also the verse, “gam hemah bacharu bedarkheihem”. People chose their ways, and whatever the result happened from their ways was a part of their choice. “Gam hemah bacharu bedarkheihem”. And I answer this, I want to receive the punishment, because the punishment is a part of your bad choice.

Digression: Rabbi Yonasan Eibshitz — “Semach Bachur Beyaldutekha”

Says Rabbi Yonasan Eibshitz zt”l, that Shlomo, “semach bachur beyaldutekha”. Shlomo… what? Shlomo said a difficult verse. Shlomo in Koheles says like this, “semach bachur beyaldutekha… vehalekh bedarkhei libbekha”.

Halakha 4 (End) — The Verse “Semach Bachur Beyaldutekha” (Koheles 11:9) — Rabbeinu Yonah’s Explanation

And the part of the responsibility why you receive the punishment is because this is a part of your bad choice.

Says Rabbeinu Yonah, and Shlomo said a difficult verse in Koheles, he says like this, “semach bachur beyaldutekha”, make your choices, “vehalekh bedarkhei libbekha”, and know, “ki al kol eleh yevi’akha HaElokim bamishpat”, but you should know that whatever you choose will afterwards bring with it the results in the judgment.

He says, that is to say, know that you have the power to do, you should know that you can do it, and it’s “vehalekh bedarkhei libbekha”, it’s things that you chose, and you should just know that the judgment that will come with this is a result of this, which is there a consequence of this.

“Semach Bachur” — Not a Mitzvah But a Statement

Perhaps he means to say, “semach bachur”, he doesn’t mean a mitzvah from Shlomo, it’s a difficult question, the Gemara asks the question, what does “semach” mean? A young man should also, we learned “zekhor et bor’ekha bimei bechurotekha”, it also stands in Shlomo.

He means to say, you can be “semach bachur”, in other words, see that you can, “semach bachur”, a bachur means that he already has choice, yes, he can do many things, because a person in old age is already stuck, he already made many choices before, he can’t always change.

See that you can, therefore you should know that it doesn’t take away the judgment, the judgment is according to what you do. So, you think that you’re a bachur, you must be this way? You don’t have to be this way, you can be this way, you can be happy, you can go bedarkhei libbekha, make sure to go in the right darkhei libbekha, your heart should be on a good level to do the right thing.

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Halakha 5 — God’s Knowledge and Free Choice

The Question: Prior Knowledge and Free Choice

Now there’s another difficult question, one question was asked, now it’s a basic thing, the first thing is even, how did it stand? “Ve’al titmah veto’mar”, one question that people can ask is, “hareshut adam netunah lo”, what does it mean, the Almighty isn’t the master? It’s not a contradiction with this, because every thing has its nature.

Now there’s even a better question, that is, that question didn’t answer the question, there’s still a deeper question. Let’s see what he says, “shema tomar”, a person will ask like this, “vahalo HaKadosh Barukh Hu yode’a kol mah sheyiheyeh kodem sheyiheyeh”, the Almighty knows everything before it happens, He knows everything that will be. He knows, He knows, He knows. He knows. If so, let Him… if He knows if so…

The Problem Isn’t Just “The Almighty Knows” — The Problem Is “There Already Exists Knowledge”

Either a or b. When the Almighty knows kol hadevarim, and not only that, it’s not written there, but we imagine that the Almighty already knows before the sin happens. Why should you only know what it says in the Yesodei HaTorah? Not clear. He sees that the Almighty knows before the sin.

Okay, in any case, the Rambam says such a thing… because he already stands like a few, therefore there’s no before and after. Okay, okay. And where was it written that the Almighty is yode’a et kol hama’asim? In chapter 2? Yes. The Almighty is yode’a et hakol, hu hayode’a atzmo hu hayadu’a. But the Rambam adds here that He is yode’a kodem sheyiheyeh. Therefore we come to the two sides.

The question is a famous question. Either He knows that you will be a tzaddik or a rasha, or He doesn’t know, right? He asks, im yada, if the Almighty knows that the person will be a tzaddik, i efshar shelo yiheyeh tzaddik. How can you afterwards go against the knowledge, because the Almighty already knows?

Not that it’s impossible he goes against the knowledge, because then He doesn’t know. The Almighty knows, the problem is that there already exists knowledge. The problem isn’t just that the Almighty is a knower, the problem is that there already exists knowledge. The Almighty is merely the one who knows everything.

One can by the way ask the same question without the Almighty, but then it wouldn’t be difficult, because then he would say that we don’t know, because the nature is that one can’t know. The Almighty is seemingly an exception from the rule of nature. The Almighty seemingly one must say that He knows yes everything before it will happen. If so, will you say either you don’t know, the Almighty doesn’t know something, or the Almighty knows, can I afterwards go against the Almighty?

And the Rambam, im tomar sheyada sheyiheyeh tzaddik ve’efshar sheyiheyeh rasha, harei yada. That wasn’t knowing. The Almighty knew that he would be a tzaddik, and in practice he became a rasha. The simple meaning is that the Almighty’s knowledge wasn’t any knowledge. He meant so.

The question is, how does the Almighty’s knowledge work? We hold that a person can always choose. How does this fit with the Almighty’s knowledge that He knows everything in advance?

The Rambam’s Answer — “Arukah Me’eretz Midah Urechavah Mini Yam”

The Rambam asks a question about the Almighty, how can the Almighty know something that is in the hands of man? And in practice, if we say that He doesn’t know, isn’t that a deficiency, that we should say that the Almighty doesn’t know something. So one must say seemingly that the Almighty knows yes. He doesn’t bring any proof, he says it can’t be. And obviously, the second side of the question is, if the Almighty knows yes, isn’t that a contradiction, because then people don’t have any choice.

The Rambam says like this: “da she’atah tzarikh lada’at, yes, the Almighty knows, and you should also know, yes, you should know… there’s a jump here. No, here, you should know… did the fire already translate the aleph? What does it say here? I still have here the… ah, they ran here. Okay, you should know, da she’atah tzarikh lada’at sheteshuvat she’elah zo, arukah me’eretz midah urechavah mini yam, it’s longer than the size of the world and wider than the sea. It’s very deep, it’s a profound thing. Vekhamah ikarim gedolim veharim ramim teluyim bah, many great principles and great mountains are dependent on it, are dependent on the answer to this question. Va’eini nikhnas badavar hazeh, and I’m not going to enter into this whole thing, aval omer lekha me’at, but I’ll tell you a little, vetzarikh atah lehavin badevarim she’omar, and you need to understand a bit the things that I’m now going to tell you.

Important Note: What Is the “Depth” — Not a Contradiction, But God’s Knowledge

I need to say an important note that people don’t catch, what is the subject of the depth? People think that the Rambam said that there’s a contradiction, seemingly. The Rambam doesn’t say that there’s a contradiction, he asks a question, how can the Almighty know? But people think that there’s a contradiction, and therefore it’s so deep that there can be a contradiction. The depth is that there’s a contradiction, and we must say about the Almighty.

But the truth is, what the Rambam says what is deep, is yedi’at Hashem. How the Almighty knows, yedi’at Hashem is a wonder. He understands that yedi’at Hashem, the Almighty is a very deep thing. How many great principles, one needs to understand at all what Almighty means, what knowledge means. How everything is explained elsewhere. Reb Nosson spoke about this a bit, but also very briefly.

So obviously, in other words, the depth is understanding the Almighty. In other words, the Rambam says, you want to understand how the Almighty knows? And yedi’at Hashem, you want the Almighty to know, obviously it’s a deep matter. So when you think about the Almighty’s knowledge in a small way, there is indeed room for the question. But once one understands the depth of the matter of yedi’at Hashem, the question falls away. And this he’s going to explain on the tip of a fork how this falls away. But he says that you shouldn’t think that you understand it completely.

The Foundation: “Hu Veda’ato Echad” — The Almighty’s Knowledge Isn’t Like Our Knowledge

He says like this: Kevar beirarnu befrek yud alef mehilkhot yesodei hatorah, that what we say that the Almighty knows everything, doesn’t mean to say like we say about a person that he knows everything. SheHaKadosh Barukh Hu eino yode’a biyedi’ah shehi chutz mimenu, when a person knows, the knowledge is something that is outside of him. He wasn’t born with the knowledge, he acquired some knowledge, he has some knowledge and he grasped it. Kivnei adam shehem veda’atam shenayim, they and their knowledge are two. Obviously, he didn’t have the knowledge, and afterwards he received the knowledge.

But the Almighty’s knowledge isn’t this type of knowledge, ela hu yitbarakh shemo veda’ato echad, the Almighty and His knowledge is one. It’s not the simple meaning that the Almighty became smarter, He received more knowledge. So the Almighty veda’ato echad.

He says, ve’ein da’ato shel adam yekholah lehashig davar zeh al buryo, a person with his small knowledge can’t grasp the knowledge that the Almighty has.

The Verse “Ki Lo Yir’ani Ha’adam Vachai” — One Can’t Understand the Essence of the Creator

In Yesodei HaTorah it was written that a person can’t understand what is matter, kal vachomer, as it was written there. A person is composed of body and soul, this he can’t understand. This was written in Yesodei HaTorah chapter 2. I just want to be precise in the language that was written there. He also said there the same thing, ein koach befeh le’omro velo belev ha’adam lehakhiro al buryo, a person can’t understand it completely.

We learned then, since the Almighty knows, His knowledge is different from our knowledge, He knows us in a better way than we can know that He knows us.

Ukheshem she’ein koach ba’adam lehashig velimtzo amitat haborei, just as a person doesn’t have the power to grasp and to catch the essence of the Creator, what the Almighty is, shene’emar “ki lo yir’ani ha’adam vachai”, a person can’t see the Almighty. To see the Almighty can’t mean to see the Almighty with a body, because the Almighty doesn’t have any body. But what does it mean one can’t see the Almighty? There’s no power in man to understand the essence of the Creator what He is, and if His knowledge is the same thing and a part, and he says it is He yes, then we’ll say we don’t understand the Almighty, we say we don’t understand the knowledge, kakh ein koach ba’adam lehashig velimtzo da’ato shel borei.

The Verse “Ki Lo Machshevotai Machshevoteikhem” (Yeshayahu 55:8)

Just as the prophet will say, and this the prophets say “ki lo machshevotai machshevoteikhem velo darkhekhem derakhay”. My knowledge isn’t the same, my knowledge like a person’s knowledge, he says, and since we don’t have the power, we don’t have the ability to understand how the Almighty knows what the knowledge of He means…

The Key Innovation: You Know Nothing About What You Mean When You Say “The Almighty Knows”

In other words, the Rambam says like this, you have a question, and you want to be consistent with the plan, you don’t understand how it can be that the Almighty knows, and you want to say this, if so it must be that people don’t have any permission? Say no more, what do you mean at all that the Almighty knows, you know that the Almighty knows, His knowledge is a part of Him, you don’t have any idea what you’re talking about, when you say the Almighty knows you don’t know any concept what you’re saying.

So let go, let go of the subject of yedi’at Hashem, it’s a fact that the Almighty, I know that He knows, but the way that He knows, what it means at all about the Almighty knowledge, is the same meaning as what it means to be the Almighty, you don’t know at all what you mean, you can let go of more questions, it becomes greater, perhaps it’s possible an angel I don’t know Moshe Rabbeinu now understands what it means, but let go of yedi’at Hashem because yedi’at Hashem doesn’t come in here, you don’t understand it.

What You Do Need to Know — Choice Is Certain

But what do you need to know yes?

Ah, because noda velo safek, shema’aseh ha’adam beyad ha’adam, ve’ein HaKadosh Barukh Hu moshkho, velo gozer alav la’asot kakh, velo shelo la’asot kakh.

And again with strength this thing that choice is very important, a person should understand that there is choice, and this thing, this complication of yedi’at Hashem that we know that the Almighty has indeed knowledge, but not this knowledge that you should understand in such a simple way and this should be a contradiction to choice.

Note: Chovot HaLevavot

Someone will say, but the Rambam says, he heard, he believes in the Torah, the earlier one says that it says in the Torah, it’s necessary, he wants to do it.

But the Almighty, the Torah also says the Almighty knows.

The Rambam says, that the Almighty has knowledge, that the Almighty has knowledge.

Just as it says in words of wisdom, it says there in Chovot HaLevavot, “hada’at”, he brings there exactly the opposite, it says there that the Almighty knows everything.

The Rambam says, no, that the Almighty has knowledge, that a person has permission, isn’t only from receiving the knowledge alone. The Rambam said earlier that we know it because the Torah and the prophets say reward and punishment, but not only about this, but the matter is that a person has permission in his hand, ela bire’ayot berurot midivrei chokhmah. One can also understand it with words of wisdom.

So what he means to say is, seemingly a person will say, I have a verse to the contrary, it says that the Almighty knows everything that I do, I believe in that verse, the Almighty is almighty. What we know clearly, from words of wisdom, it says here, it’s simple, and seemingly that wisdom isn’t beyond human power to grasp, everyone can see that a person is a thing, a nature, that has permission.

This you need to know clearly. One, believe me that the Almighty is truth, but this is already deep things, you’ll understand when the Almighty will make you understand.

“Vezeh Ikar Shekhol Divrei HaNevi’im Talui Bo” — The Almighty Himself Says This

So this is seen very much, the Rambam puts in both things, that one judges a person on all his deeds according to his deeds, one judges a person on all his deeds according to how he did them, im tov ve’im ra, that a person is responsible for his deeds, vezeh ikar shekhol divrei hanevi’im talui bo. This is the principle that all the words of the prophets, all the words of the Torah and the prophets, perhaps the prophets he means to say, that the prophets come from the Almighty, yedi’at Hashem, the Almighty Himself says this, not only… it’s also, we held that we know it, but the Almighty Himself says this.

Therefore, don’t say that you’re not a greater believer in the Ribbono Shel Olam (Master of the Universe) than the prophet. When the prophet says that a person is judged according to his deeds (lfi ma’asav), don’t say “I think that the Ribbono Shel Olam has foreknowledge (yediah)”. On the contrary, all the words of the prophets (kol divrei haneviim) depend on knowing that a person has free will (reshus netunah lo).