Tagged Questions
2
votes
0answers
55 views
Is free will limited to humans?
Do other beings besides humans have free will? Perhaps animals have free will? What about angels?
Does the status of other types of beings' freedom of will affect us in any way?
5
votes
2answers
182 views
Does the president of the USA have free will?
I don't remember where but I saw a chazal that states something to the effect of "the (non-Jewish) leaders of the world do not have free will".
I would appreciate someone editing to source this.
So I ...
-3
votes
2answers
131 views
Doomsday scenario, what would Hashem do?
Lets say John is about to end all mankind by releasing a deadly virus that can never be reversed, cured, or stopped. Will Hashem step in and stop the act? This is a contradiction because Hashem gave ...
10
votes
3answers
221 views
Jewish concept of angels
Judaism does not believe in the free will of angels. What is the scriptural evidence for that and since when has such belief been held within the Jewish community?
7
votes
1answer
128 views
Free will a prerequisite for punishment?
I read that the angel Metat was subjected to 60 pulsei de-nura (Aramaic: פולסא דנורא "lashes of fire"). I have been taught that angels do not have free will. Did this angel act from free will or did ...
12
votes
2answers
296 views
How do we know that we have free will?
Where in the torah does it state that humans have, and are entitled to in perpetuity, free will?
1
vote
2answers
100 views
How much room is there for personal influence given the existence of “free will” and “God's will” and “God's plan”?
Today's interesting question delves deeper into the concept of free will. I understand that Judaism views free will as the freedom to choose between life and death (i.e. choose life and live), but ...
7
votes
3answers
340 views
How do you know what is God's will in a particular situation?
After reading this superb article by the great Rabbi Noah Weinberg I'm left pondering point number 5 "Make your will God's will".
I understand that this does not mean that whatever you personally ...
11
votes
4answers
212 views
Did hardening Paro's heart mean he wasn't really responsible?
As a child I often wondered how, if God kept hardening Paro's heart after each plague, it could really be Paro's fault. It sounds like God was setting him up to fail, and while that's God's ...
3
votes
3answers
98 views
Will there be free will and a purpose to doing good in the messianic era?
I recently saw this question in the new Christianity stack exchange site, and it reminded me of a question I meant to ask as a follow-up to this question.
With the assumption that evil exists so that ...
2
votes
2answers
165 views
How do you understand the Rambam on Free choice in Teshuvah 5:5?
What is the Rambam really bothered by in Teshuvah 5:5?
רמב"ם הלכות תשובה פרק ה הלכה ה
שמא תאמר והלא הקב"ה יודע כל מה שיהיה וקודם שיהיה ידע שזה יהיה צדיק או רשע או לא ידע, אם ידע שהוא יהיה צדיק אי ...
6
votes
8answers
336 views
do we really have free choice?
I was told Hashem created us with free will; so we can make a choice to do good or evil, right? Well, Hashem knows what we are going to do in 10 minutes. So do we really have free will? Hashem can see ...
