If Hashem already knows everything, do we really have free will?

Hi, I'm Arammy Glazer and this is Colula. So here's the big question that always comes up. If Hashem already knows everything that's going to happen, then do we really have free will? The Rambam talks about this invasion is longer than the land and broader than the seas. But one thing is certain a person's actions are in his own hands. So basically the Rambam says yes it's too big for us to fully understand but at the end of the day your choices are yours free will is real and then the Balchento gives us a way to live with it. He says like this, "Before you do something, see yourself as totally free. My life, my choices, my responsibilities. But after you've already done it, you look back and say, "That's where Hashem wanted me. That's what he led me to do." But here's the problem. If Chuva means regretting the past, how can I regret something that I now believe was Hashem's will? So, here's a mush. A kid is running around the house. He knocks over a vase and it smashes. He feels horrible. He knows he wasn't supposed to be running around there. He could have done differently. And now something precious is gone. That's regret. Then the father walks in. Instead of yelling, he bends down. He gives the kid a hug. And he says, "I knew this father might break one day. It's okay. What matters is that you learn from it. Let's clean up together." And later, the father even takes the pieces and makes a little mosaic out of them with his son. Something new comes out of the break. That's what chuva is. Regret doesn't mean I wish the past away. It means I realize I've created distance between me and Hashem, between me and who I really am. And I don't want that distance anymore. I want to come close again. And here's the amazing part. When I do that, Hashem takes even my fall and uses it as part of my return. Just like the broken vase becoming a mosaic. So here's how it works. Looking forward, I've got full free will. Every choice matters. But looking back, I see Hashem's hand guiding it all. And in Chuva, we hold both. I regret the distance that I created, but I also trust that Hashem can use that distance to bring me closer. And here's how it ties into where we are right now. El is the time to look back, to take responsibility, to do tshoua. But when Rashashana comes, there's no vidui, no confession. We're not looking back anymore. We're just standing there crowning Hashem as king. And that's the ultimate gula. When the past doesn't hold us anymore, when the whole world recognizes Hashem's kingship, that's the future we're stepping into on Rashashana. Thanks for watching. [Music]