Puff, Puff, Pass
Puff, Puff, Pass Chapter 3, Mishna 19(c) : Free Will vs. G-d's Foreknowledge Everything is foreseen, yet free will is given. The world is judged with goodness, and all is according to the majority of deeds. Last week we discussed the concept of man's free will — and the apparent contradiction with the belief that G-d controls all that occurs in this world. This week I would like to deal with yet another well-known philosophical quandary alluded to in our mishna : man's free will versus G-d's foreknowledge. Our mishna begins by stating "Everything is foreseen" — meaning that G-d knows in advance every event which will occur in this world. It then continues, "free will is given" — that man is given free reign to act as he chooses. The question raised by Maimonides and many other thinkers (both Jewish and Gentile) is as follows: If G-d knows the future and every act we will do for t...