Q&A: God's Knowledge
God's Knowledge
Question
Hello Rabbi,
I wanted to know briefly what the Rabbi's view is regarding “God's knowledge.” Does He know what happens in the world? As far as I remember from when I read The Five Notebooks, there was no move there from proving God's existence to His activity, or more precisely, to a living existence that knows how things are conducted. Is it possible that God created the world and its laws, and since then has had no ability at all to know what is going on in His world? Is there any proof (philosophical) that this is not so? Assuming we do not see God intervening in the world, we have no way of knowing whether He knows. [I am not looking for things like proof through prophecy in the past and the like, but rather something more philosophical-logical.]
Thanks in advance
Answer
Hello.
I don't think this question is accessible to philosophical arguments. If one assumes that He is omnipotent, then why shouldn't He know what happens here? Whether He intervenes or not is a question of policy. But knowledge is only an ability, and He should certainly have that ability. From another angle: if He can create the world, why shouldn't He be able to know what happens in it?
To the questioner: if we know what is happening in the world, how could He not know?