Thursday, May 6, 2021

The Denial of Free Will in Hasidic Thought

 https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/the-denial-of-free-will-in-hasidic-thought/

From the Baal‑Shem Tov…there is a parable of a person who decided to test his wife, so he made himself appear to her as a sea captain, and grabbed her and enticed her. But she refused, until he forced her to agree to him. Afterwards, she came to him with a broken heart and revealed the matter to him. Her husband then said to her, "It was I, and you never committed adultery with another." Thus shall God clarify the sins of Israel, that all was from God. And so I heard from our Master, Teacher, and Rabbi, Blessed be his memory, from Izbica, the interpretation of the verse, "You were rebellious with God (Deuteronomy 9:8)," for it should have said, "against God." But the meaning is that God will make it clear that when we were rebellious it was also with God, and from Him it issued. (Pri Zaddiq, 4.236-237)

 

1 comment :

  1. Kalonymus HaQatanMay 6, 2021 at 6:50 PM

    They are great rabbis, but there are problems with this claim.
    Not just because it goes against the rambam, but also the Torah itself.
    Its also debatable logically, although some philophers hold the same view. But those same philosophers debate with others who disagree.
    See the fallacy? How can you change someone's behaviour if he doesn't have free will?

    ReplyDelete

ANONYMOUS COMMENTS WILL NOT BE POSTED!
please use either your real name or a pseudonym.