Q&A: Providence / God’s Intervention in the World
Providence / God’s Intervention in the World
Question
Hello, honored Rabbi,
I read and listen to your words, and I hope I am not mistaken in understanding that according to what you say, since human beings have free choice on the one hand, and on the other hand there are laws of nature that were fixed from the time of creation, therefore if a person is sick, for example with any illness whatsoever, this is not a “punishment from Heaven” but rather follows natural physiological processes, etc.
Based on this understanding, God is pretty bored and has no influence at all in the present world…. This is in complete contradiction to the common religious language, according to which everything is under individual and general providence and nothing happens without God’s will.
Seemingly this is a contradiction.
Could you resolve this for me?
Thank you
Answer
What is there to resolve? Indeed, the Holy One, blessed be He, does not run things here. As for His boredom — He can turn to the welfare office.
(By the way, I didn’t understand the connection to free choice.)
Discussion on Answer
This has already been discussed in many places here. Search the site for divine involvement in the world.
Thank you. I mentioned free choice as an area in which the Holy One, blessed be He, has no intervention whatsoever, and it is a completely autonomous space for the human being. According to what you say, also outside the realm of free choice—that is, everything else as well—God has no influence at all, and everything is subject to laws that were set from the days of creation. Still, it is hard to understand that God has no point of contact at all in the world… Heaven forbid, that is like saying He finished His work at the time of creation, thanks and goodbye, He has no further interest here…. So then what is the meaning of “and I will give your rains in their season, the early rain and the late rain,” etc.? Seemingly there is a mutual influence between our actions and the results in the world….