Q&A: Free Choice According to the Shelah
Free Choice According to the Shelah
Question
Hello, honorable Rabbi,
I read the articles about free choice, and I didn’t understand why people have a problem with the Shelah’s approach. They argue that if one says that the Holy One, blessed be He, does not know the future, that undermines His knowledge. But it seems one could say that this is not a problem at all, because in truth there is no such thing as “the future.” The future is not an existing entity; rather, it is dynamic, and it changes at every moment according to a person’s free choices. What exists is only a potential future, that is, a possible course that follows from the current state. The Holy One, blessed be He, knows all the potentials, but there is no such thing as an “absolute future” that needs to be known—just as it is not a deficiency to say that the Holy One, blessed be He, cannot create a “round triangle,” because that has no real meaning in reality. Thank you.
Answer
I explained my view in detail, and it is like yours. You want me to explain the difficulties that I myself raised? Ask someone who thinks that way.
Discussion on Answer
The wording isn’t entirely precise, but the intent is correct.
Why do people need explanations for certain things that the Holy One, blessed be He, doesn’t know—as if, what is He supposed to know?
I meant, why do they think He is supposed to know everything? Like, say, can I decide that He doesn’t know about the phone in my pocket?
I read this a long time ago and don’t remember seeing this point. I just wanted to know whether the Rabbi agrees with it or if I’m missing something.