YeshivaThe torah world Gateway
Beit Midrash
- Jewish Laws and Thoughts
- Jewish Thought
- Subjects of Jewish Thougts
Translated by Hillel Fendel
Question: We know that we face evil and good in the world, and our objective is to choose that which is good. A "choice" implies that we can choose either of the two alternatives – but many times we find that our Evil Urge is stronger than our urge to do good. If so, where is our Free Will? The odds are stacked in favor of bad!
Answer: You are right, our free will is not always balanced – but it is always possible. Most of the time, it is easy to overcome our inclination towards bad and to choose good. But sometimes the challenge is more difficult, and we must invest greater efforts to overcome and choose good.
However, the fact that our choice requires more effort does not mean that there is no choice. On the contrary: If a person passes a difficult test, because he had to work harder in order to choose good, this means that he has the ability to overcome.
At the same time, we must understand that "hard" and "easy" are relative terms; what is very hard for a person in one situation can become easy in another. For instance: The society in which one chooses to live has a great effect on his future choices. If he has moved to a place where the society has a positive influence upon him, his "difficult" choices will become easier. And the opposite is also true, of course, Heaven forbid. This means that the person himself causes many of his decisions to be easier or harder, according to his own earlier choices regarding how to live, where to live, how much Torah he studies, and the like.
Such that in the end, if a person finds it hard to choose good, he himself caused this – and it is now his test and challenge to a) pass this particular test, and b) find ways to make future decisions easier.
In order to get articles like this delivered straight to your inbox every week, subscribe to the Israel National Torah newsletter here.
Question: We know that we face evil and good in the world, and our objective is to choose that which is good. A "choice" implies that we can choose either of the two alternatives – but many times we find that our Evil Urge is stronger than our urge to do good. If so, where is our Free Will? The odds are stacked in favor of bad!
Answer: You are right, our free will is not always balanced – but it is always possible. Most of the time, it is easy to overcome our inclination towards bad and to choose good. But sometimes the challenge is more difficult, and we must invest greater efforts to overcome and choose good.
However, the fact that our choice requires more effort does not mean that there is no choice. On the contrary: If a person passes a difficult test, because he had to work harder in order to choose good, this means that he has the ability to overcome.
At the same time, we must understand that "hard" and "easy" are relative terms; what is very hard for a person in one situation can become easy in another. For instance: The society in which one chooses to live has a great effect on his future choices. If he has moved to a place where the society has a positive influence upon him, his "difficult" choices will become easier. And the opposite is also true, of course, Heaven forbid. This means that the person himself causes many of his decisions to be easier or harder, according to his own earlier choices regarding how to live, where to live, how much Torah he studies, and the like.
Such that in the end, if a person finds it hard to choose good, he himself caused this – and it is now his test and challenge to a) pass this particular test, and b) find ways to make future decisions easier.
In order to get articles like this delivered straight to your inbox every week, subscribe to the Israel National Torah newsletter here.
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
fast navigation
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 9 - "Seeing is Believing" (parag. 21-30)
These paragraphs elaborate on the theme that seeing and knowing is better than any attempt to prove logically, and begins explaining the difference between Israel and gentiles.
Ein Aya Various Universal Stages of the Geula Process
Rav Kook examines the various stages of redemption, explaining how (in addition to the obvious oft-mentioned stages of ingathering the exiles, reviving the Hebrew language, army, state etc.) the messianic dream of world prosperity, the State of Israel and world unity can and are realistically and logically gradually coming true.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 8- "Answering Questions on the Kuzari's Proof from Mass Revelation
How do we know that the "claim" of mass revelation to 2,000,000 witnesses at Mt. Sinai is really true? This important class answers all of the questions skeptics ask about this claim of the Kuzari.
Ein Aya Armies Still Necessary for Balance & the War Against Wars
Rav Kook explains why the world was originally divided into the various seemingly contradicting ideologies and cultures, in order to develop each one respectively. Swords or armies symbolize how each respective ideology defends themselves, as well as deters their opposing ideologies and cultures. On the other hand, the messianic era will be one of peace, and Rav Kook explains the transition to that stage, which mankind is already undergoing.
The Land of Israel LGBT'S IN ISRAEL
The question was asked, how can one make Aliyah with the LGBT parades?
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 7 - Five Accumulative Proofs of G-d
As a preparation for the Kuzari's classic proof of G-d from the mass-revelation at Sinai, we start here with 5 other directions to strengthen our belief which also contribute to what the Kuzari will present as well.
Ein Aya Muscle & Meaning: The Dual Nature of Gevurah (Physical Strength)
Is physical strength and fitness a necessity or an ideal? Although it if often totally overlooked among topics of Judaism, Rav Kook writes that it clearly is also a necessity to deter the many enemies of Israel, but even in Y'mot HaMashiach, in the Messianic era, to a certain extent, it's ideal continues even after our enemies will have been finished off.
