Free Will – Did I Have a Choice in Writing This? – Vayechi

If you are an accountant was that career planned for you or was it a strategic decision? What about lying politicians? Can they tell the truth?

The Rambam in the final chapter of his Eight Chapters – Introduction to Perkey Avot totally disagrees with the opinion which is possibly cited by Tosafot that one might not have free choice. He says that man has complete freedom of choice. Rambam does admit that certain genetic features can make it difficult to choose certain things. “A person whose brains contain a lot of fluid will have a difficult time learning….”

In the Guide to the Perplexed, Rambam has some selected words for those who believe that a leaf does not blow in the forest without first being destined to get blown. (pg 285 Dover) He further says the true Torah opinion is that it is G-d’s will that we have free choice.

In Shu”t Harambam (Siman 436) Rambam says that whoever researches this topic and finds Stories and Midrashim which slightly contradict this fact is committing suicide! Although he did not see Tosafot it is clear that Rambam refers to such quotations in the Talmud which might contradict his opinion about the universality of freedom of choice.

Therefore, according to Rambam: if a person is born into a family of drug addicts and other criminals, is terribly abused and physically tormented, and is given no real hope, he still has the choice to be a Yireh Shamayim. Although the vast majority of individuals continue down the road of misery each person does have the ability to change.

The Chovot Halevavot (third gate 8th section – section “H” in the Mansur English translation published by Oxford as part of the Littman Library) has an interesting discussion on this very matter.

When Chovot Halevavot discusses the Service of G-d he has a dialogue between the Soul and the Mind about what is proper to believe? On the subject of free choice during this dialogue the Mind informs the Soul that there exist several opinions.

The first is that we have absolute freedom of choice on all issues and G-d never intervenes.

The Second opinion is that we have no freedom of choice at all. When asked: How it is possible that G-d punishes us for misdeed and rewards us for the good that we do? The answer of these people is that it is beyond us to ask about G-d’s workings and should not entertain thoughts about G-d’s workings.[This is the opinion in the Ashariah of the Koran]

A domino's movement is determined completely by laws of physics.
A domino’s movement is determined completely by laws of physics.