Q&A: Free Will, the World to Come, and the Service of God
Free Will, the World to Come, and the Service of God
Question
Hello and blessings,
1. I saw that the Rabbi writes in a column about rationality that it is impossible to prove from the events of our lives that a person acts irrationally. The claim that a person acts only rationally negates free choice. If it is impossible to prove that a person acts irrationally (as the Rabbi wrote), then what is the motivation to believe in free choice against the principle of causality? Maybe a person always acts out of rationality, and the cause of his action is that, in his view, this is the smarter and more beneficial thing to do.
2. I have asked the Rabbi many times about free choice, and I am very confused about it. Everyone I asked, including the Rabbi, takes it as obvious that there is choice because of the experience of it (to the point that it is as certain as seeing with one’s own eyes), and only to me it is not clear at all. In the Rabbi’s opinion, is that legitimate, or does it stem from my lack of understanding?
3. I saw that the Rabbi writes that he is doubtful about the world to come. Seemingly this is an explicit verse in Daniel: “And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, these to everlasting life, and those to reproaches and everlasting abhorrence,” and what follows there. I know the Rabbi argues that one cannot learn very much from the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh), but here why should we not understand the verse in its plain sense and conclude that there is a world to come (after the resurrection; the world of souls is harder to prove from the verses)?
4. It is written in several sources (also in the words of the Sages) that one should do the commandments for the sake of the Holy One, blessed be He, and according to some views this is serving God for its own sake. How does that fit with the fact that the Holy One, blessed be He, has no lack and does not need us (“If you sinned, what effect have you upon Him?”)?
5. What is the value of studying Jewish laws that pertain to rabbinic commandments—does that count as Torah study? After all, it is an innovation of the Sages and not a law given to Moses at Sinai. Similarly regarding Prophets and Writings: they are not part of the Torah, and the commandment is Torah study.
Thank you very much for addressing this. Blessings and success.
Answer
- I didn’t understand any of this. I do not recognize the things you are quoting in my name, and I also did not understand the question. Why would someone who acts rationally not be choosing?
- I do not know what “legitimate” means. If that is what you think, then that is what you think. Do you need my legitimacy for your thoughts?
- Maybe yes and maybe no. Since I am not sure of the interpretation of these verses, I have no certainty about it. It also says, “until I come to my lord in Seir,” and the Sages interpret that as referring to the future to come. There are even more far-fetched interpretations of verses in the Torah and the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh).
- See columns 170 and 360.
- That is the topic of my class this evening. See column 582–3.
Discussion on Answer
I think he means to ask that if I will always choose the rational thing, then it is not really free choice, because there is no real possibility of choosing evil, only the rational thing. If so, what advantage does the righteous person have over the wicked one? After all, each of them chooses what is rational in his own view?
It is obvious that he feels that he chooses, just that he does not feel a dilemma between good and evil, only a dilemma over what is more beneficial.
In my opinion that is nonsense, and it is obvious that we do not always choose the rational thing, and everyone can see that about himself many times.
2. I am asking whether the fact that I do not experience a feeling of choice is legitimate, not whether the fact that I think there is no choice is legitimate. Since the Rabbi writes a lot about choice, I thought that maybe you had encountered such a claim.
3. Of course there is no certainty; there is no certainty about anything. But that is the plain meaning of the verse, so why remain in doubt? Usually it makes more sense to interpret a verse according to its plain meaning, and presumably the verses do mean what they plainly say, and the obvious conclusion is that there is reward and punishment after death—the world to come.
Thank you very much. Blessings and success.