Q&A: Faith
Faith
Question
1. Does the Holy One, blessed be He, respond to human actions? It seems that if rain doesn’t fall and people declare a fast so that rain will come, that would imply yes. And is rain also dependent on our prayer and fasting?
2. I would appreciate an explanation of the two Talmudic statements: “Forty days before the formation of the fetus, it is announced,” etc. — which seems to imply that a match is made in Heaven, no?
And that same angel that says whether one will be poor or rich, wise or foolish, strong or poor… that seems to imply that a person has no free choice, so how is that possible?
Answer
- I didn’t understand the question. Are you referring to something said elsewhere? If so, send the question there.
- I’m not sure the Talmudic passages really mean that deterministic statement, because otherwise there would be no point in personal effort. But even if they do mean it, I disagree. The Sages have no sources of information unavailable to us, unless it is a tradition from Sinai. By the way, Maimonides in his letters also did not accept this, and see Rabbi Elchanan Wasserman’s Explanations of Aggadah According to the Plain Meaning.
Discussion on Answer
Absolutely.
So that means our actions can influence and change nature, because nature is subject to Him, may He be blessed?
Amit, hello.
A. It seems that your question about prayer is very deliberately aimed against the well-known view of the site owner on matters of prayer.
B. Was a person given free choice in how to serve the Holy One, blessed be He? Meaning, suppose this wasn’t decreed before birth, but during life it was decreed that a person would be poor or rich. Could he then claim: if I had been rich, I would have served God better?
See the Talmud, tractate Yoma 35b: Hillel obligates the poor, Rabbi Elazar ben Harsum obligates the rich, and Joseph the righteous obligates those with strong desire. And it is also well known that there is wealth that is kept for its owner’s harm.
The same applies regarding wisdom or foolishness. A person has to serve his Creator according to the abilities given to him. And more than that, the Holy One, blessed be He, determines where you will be born, in what family, in what city, and in what country. But again, a person has to serve his Creator according to his abilities.
Free choice?? There’s no shortage of possibilities and tests of choice throughout life.
And likewise, the definition of someone who does not agree with something the Sages said is well known.
Rain. If there’s no rain, there’s a drought. The Sages say: let’s declare a fast. That means that if we fast, it’s possible that the Holy One, blessed be He, will have mercy on us and bring rain. Right?