Freedom of Choice

Do we have freedom of choice, or is it merely an illusion? Belief in an omnipotent higher power would suggest that everything is predetermined. But how does that explain the human experience, in which our ability to make choices is a given? And how does i...

If we are part of G-d’s plan, then why did He give us the choice to deviate from the plan? To what extent do our choices really affect our lives? This fifth in a six-part series on core Jewish beliefs examines the importance of free will and its effect on...

The first specific freedom we look at is the freedom that is the foundation for all other freedoms: freedom of choice.

If free will does exist, how is it possible for a human being to do anything that contradicts G-d will? In this lesson we explore the seeming paradox between the experience of choice and its theological ramifications. If everything that happens is ultimat...

There’s more to reality than meets the eye. So maybe choice operates differently on different levels or dimensions of existence. Perhaps in our earthly reality, which is bound by time and space, choice exists, while in more transcendent realms of existenc...

This lesson explores fundamental positions regarding the question of free choice vs. determinism among three distinguished classical Jewish scholars - the Rambam (Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon, aka Maimonides), the Raavad (Rabbi Avraham ben David) and Rabbi Mosh...

The question of whether or not we have free choice has major implications - not only in how we view morality, but also in how we choose to live our lives. This lesson discusses some of these universal questions, revealing that there are perhaps some areas...