Pirkei Avos #37: Free Will and The Key

So we are in the eighth per mish towards the end of and yesterday we saw in great length yesterday was the longest shar that we had over in the afternoon. Um so yesterday we we we discussed the the issue was that because free will is so fundamental and so absolute and so much part of the human experience in every aspect. We we had to examine a couple of sukim that seemed to imply that people either didn't have and not only they didn't have but they were punished for acting in a situation where they don't have and that is that can't be right that that just mathematically logically it's an impossible conclusion because it it it is unfair for and unjust for Hashem to punish us to punish someone not us to punish someone when that when they don't have so therefore the raam um developed this idea that the reason why par was punished when let's say by yams and by the end of the mak where it says clearly the prom says and hashem says that I will take away his and then I will punish him says no it's that is because the reason why par is being punished at that point is not because of the fact that he didn't let because at this point he doesn't have a choice he can't let go of even if he wants to. But the reason is because he was so evil for so many years by his own choice. And in all those years, he had countless opportunities every single day. He he had the to turn around and he had the fuel and nothing was forcing him and nothing was compelling him. By the way, when we say nothing, we mean even what Hashem told by the even that wasn't manipulating him in any way because like we saw the coin was 50/50. par and the mitsim all had free will to not partake in this in this evil that they imposed on the Eden. So for years and years you had the option to not be bad. So at a certain point Hashem says that I will remove I will punish you in the worst way possible and that and that is to take that I I will cause you to stay evil. I will take away the option of your own control over your own self and you're going to drive yourself into the sea by your own will basically right. you're going to be forced that that your own evil and your own bad and your own actions are what's going to bring you a demise and that is again that is so par ultimately did not get the because he didn't let the because he didn't even if he wanted to he couldn't let the reason why par was punished was because all the evil that he did before that and the same thing is with and now we're going to see that this the says he has proof for this in no because the novi this is we read this in par of paras. Um so this is the the initiating uh this is the first nua of um anor girl that's the word what I was looking for this is the nor of and novi is is as much as his reputation is that he's ko but some of the most painful and some of the harshest nas like the one we're we're going to readm in in in you know coming up pious is so this is pious Even though that is these are the opening words of they're not his first his first is and that is a vision that he has where he sees it's sort of the similar to and in many ways and that is that he he goes into Hashem's to the BD and and not only the Bashem in on high and he hears Hashem say who is going to be my no who's going to go for me and who's going to carry My word volunteers says um basically fatten their hearts the hearts of Israel that they should be desensitized. Why should they be desensitized? Because if he'll be sensitive and if he'll see what's coming his way, then he might do chuva and he'll and he'll be healed. Says the what does it say here? It says that Hashem tells them fatten up their hearts because they deserve such punishment because Klaus was bad for so many years because Clausro engaged in behavior that they brought themselves to a point of no return. Therefore, I want to bring onto them so much bad, so much punishment and so much judgment. So what I need to is their ears shouldn't hear, their eyes shouldn't see, their heart shouldn't feel because if they will feel they'll do chuva and if they do chuva then then if they cha they'll heal and I don't want them to heal because I think and my judgment says my my divine wisdom and divine righteous judgment says that they sinned enough and they did so much evil that they deserve to they deserve the judgment that's coming their way. So says the makes this sometimes the Ram is giving you two um you know two he's he's he's being very reluctant. It's sometimes some it could be that they could bring themselves to situation and Hashem does not leave people to do fatten theirs and their ears should become heavy and so on and so forth. Why? Because they shouldn't do and they should heal themselves. This is a this is a this is a proof text. This is a clear verse that that that supports my my shita my claim that uh that so that that sometimes in Russia like parro like and like that were that that is being that they did so much bad and so much evil that they couldn't that hashem really says that that was that they should be fat they should be desensitized because if they'll be sensitive and if they'll really feel and they'll and they'll take in what's coming their way then they might do chuva lest they do chuva Because if they do cha and then they will be healed and Hashm doesn't want them to be healed says this is a key for many locks. So this is the ultimate this is key right. So if you're looking for a source so here you have a old source where the says this is key right this is a key that opens many locks and what he means by saying this is a key that open many locks is that here you have a you have a problem by par you have a problem by how could it be that hashem punishes people that didn't have free will. So Hashem not only intervened but because free will is part of the DNA of a human being. So Hashem intervened and took away a person's free will and then Hashem punished him for it which is a divine injustice. How such a thing be says you know where the key for that is the key for these locks the key for these mysteries is where there's a clearing says that why does it say because he might do chuva and if he does cha he's going to be healed doesn't want him to be healed. So here you see this idea on this foundation. I'll show you many other locks. So now the Ram is walking around with this key with this key of and he's going to open a couple of you know this is the master key. So we we we we issue we um so frank argues in the when when says that uh that this is that this idea is acceptable to him right when says that he might even accept this idea that some people are bad enough that they can't do what he his argument is that that is only the Raman clearly disagrees with him. So he's disagreeing with the ra he's noting he's just he accepts part of the rama's logic by and he won't really accept he's going to give a different um so so now let's some other areas that the says one of the most difficult to learn in that is that he turns to and he says and you are the one that turned away from from you you were the one that that turned their hearts away from yourself, right? You caused Hashem, you caused the clowns to worship of a desire and that say it's a very problematic statement to make, right? Hashem, Hashem causes to worship of a desire. How could we know that there's free will? We not the entire thing. Why would he why would he hashem turn's hearts away from himself? says that he means to say after they by their own will by their own free will they rebelled against Hashem's will your punishment to them was that you did not give them you did not enable them to do and you didn't leave to them free will the reason why for hundreds of years are worshiping about at this point says is yeah granted granted did that there was 100 years that they worshiped the madar and they had free will and they could have done chuba but for the past 100 years the reason why they are worshiping madar is because of you is because you decided now again I am not divine and I don't understand your your your punishment but the reason why kalis is a nation of idol worshippers of his time the guilt is hashem's because these people were raised in a culture of a desire because they did not have the free will anymore to do cha why didn't they have a free will you're right because they deserved it at a certain point that their ch their that that their ability to make their own decisions and their ability to put themselves on the right track were gone. Now you can even make an argument that this is a natural progression because sometimes a person brings himself to a situation where he can't help himself anymore. Right. So when we say that every person has free will yes so every person really has free will but a person could put himself in a situation where his free will is going to be tremendously compromised. So because right so if someone take alcoholism or any addiction for that matter so everyone has an option not to be an addict right so at at a certain point you drink gamble whatever it is a person knows when they could get out of it so the person could get out of it but there's something in him that drives him further now at any point the person could stop cold turkey but if a person does this often enough then a person becomes an addict and then that person doesn't have free will so What we saw here in the Ram, we can really look at it as a multi-level um um idea. It's the way we presented it is that if a person is evil enough by his own free will, then Hashem intervenes, takes away his free will and the person can't do ch anymore. It could there could be another another reading in the Ram and that is that that is the cycle of evil itself. There is a certain vicious cycle where if a person is consistent enough and he he he he and and and he he drives himself to to desensitize himself and to and sometimes he gets addicted to to to to a lifestyle of of of of you know of of um depravity then then at a certain point this you know he might his might be tremendously compromised and that is a very very difficult reading but but I I definitely identify with that because I think it's something we see, we witness and and unfortunat but I do think the the the the silver lining sort of is is the rock bottom because when people hit rock bottom then even if people basis get into a vicious cycle and they're addicted and they can't see themselves get out of their problems and and it is sort of their own evil their own their own downside their own their their own weaker parts of their character that they fed in so much o over these years. So you had free will for 10 years. Now at a certain point, I'm sorry now and now there's no more free will because now a person is so addicted so intertwined in all of his bad habits that he can't see himself out and he might really not be able to see himself out. But I I what I hope and really I've seen this and in my own experience and with with other people is that is that even when you get into very bad habits and even though when you get into a very bad cycle that even you might not be able to help yourself but maybe other people can help you. Maybe you have a friend. Maybe you have a moment of inspiration. Maybe sometimes you hit rock bottom. Maybe times sometimes you think that your life is is is is you realize how much of your life like so you're not really in power situation. But I'm just giving another alternative reading in the Rambam over here and that is let's go back to what is telling is that you are responsible for the fact that because you intervene and you took away their why maybe they deserved it but and that is there's another that says that that cleaved to his idolatry and Hashem let him go. So what he's saying is that he cleaved by his own free will he loved and he cleaved to his to his and what is the punishment that Hashem did that Hashem says okay this is what you want so much this is what you're doing for so long you have free will for 15 years 100 years two or 300 years and you're not letting go of your desire you know what I'm not even going to give you the ability to realize the sheer to realize the the detriment that this brings onto your health and finished and you are going to bring your own demise and this consistent with Ra said till now and this is one of the best for anyone that has a sensitive and real sophisticated um um understanding he's going to love my so you know if you have any self-respect you have to say yeah you know we get it anyway but we do it's the it's the holy Ram so but the Ram himself is you know it's probably the second or third time where the Ram is complimenting his own and that and so this is sort of where the Ram finishes with this idea But there is one caveat to this. So let's because there's other that the ram just has to get it out of the way. So you shouldn't bring it because there's a that says all the way that Yeshai is complaining to why are you turning us away from you from from your why are you turning us away? Why are you turning us off? Why are you turning us away from your sh According to the Ram what's your sh complaining about how you yourself you yourself first this is towards the end of your career but all the way in the beginning of your career your actual your first your very first was so what are you asking so according to the and he's saying why are you turning us away you know the answer told you more than any other Hashem gave you the key capital Kashm gave you the key and he told you that there's a concept So why are you asking maybe is wrong said? No. When Yeshai is saying why Hashem is turning us away? He's having a different argument. He doesn't mean to he's not implying that Hashem actually is taking away and he is turning away from Hashem. That's not what he's saying. What he's saying is is like this. It says there this there's no sh but you have to read this pos context and the context over there is that is talking about the golos and the clouds and golos and they're dispersed among all the nations and the all the all the all the go all the controlling cloud Israel and it's uh and and and so so cloud Israel is broken shattered dispersed and all this situation of the diaspora in in and when Claus was in such an unfortunate situation and all the go and all of of the Zor on top and they're taking advantage of Kaliso and they're enslaving and they're subjecting him to terrible, you know, hard work and labor and all types of torture and murder that that that there was. So what is says is that this is a turnoff in Judaism. It's it's not that Hashem is intervening. It's what the situation itself is. The situation is where someone says this is Hashem's people. This is what this is this situ that's meaning is saying that when Hashem punishes us, maybe we deserve to be punished. Maybe we deserve to go and go. But the problem is that Hashem and this is what we spoke about in the par last week that Hashem's sort of Hashem's reputation is connected with Kalis fate. And that is what is telling. You're right. We maybe we deserve punishment. But the problem is that being that you punish us and being that we're unless being that they're going to take advantage of us that is because it looks terrible. It looks like you can't help yourself. It looks like you can't help us. And therefore, and therefore, why Hashem, even if we deserve to be punished, but why are you turning us off from how do you expect us to d how do you expect us to when it seems that that you know when when when the situation is is so helpless and when you can't help your own people? So, the optics are so bad that that that is having a hard time to connect it. And so, that's really what he's saying. He's not implying that Hashem intervened and he took away the and therefore, no, that's not what he's saying at He's saying something else completely. He's saying that granted we deserve to be punished. Granted we deserve to go on gol. But the problem is that there's a big and this is the argument that we see in so says the is complaining about the golives and the fact that they were we migrated and we were dispersed and the go ruled over us in in in in a terrible dominating way. And so domin the ones that control us. They're the ones that dominate over they will they they will they will veer off the right path that that see this and experience this. They will they will be they will go off the path and they will go away from and therefore you by by extension will be the one who actually caused Claus to to go off the path and that's very similar to said that when the go see that meaning even if Claus deserves to die after the egg after the mira deserves to die maybe clash deserves to be punished what tells is I'm not saying you're wrong. What I'm saying is that it's means that the Muslim that can't take the what does hem answer says that is right deserves to be punished deserves to be wiped out but I can't afford me my reputation I can't afford to have to go assume that it's myility and what the is saying that this is really argument And the says that this idea that that that in golos cla feels like there's no reason to beem because don't have it good in golos because the people who actually worship have it better. So this this idea this concept that there's a realm from the success that they have and the pain and the and the torture and the and the suffering that goes through in that's something you see in it says that the people who chase the truth meaning the Eden that that connected thee that learn when they are when they are when they suffer by the hands of of what does it saying [Applause] that everyone that does bad, everyone that does evil, it looks like Hashem likes him. And where is the Mishbot? Where is the God of justice? It looks like the God of justice prefers bad people over good people. Because look look what he does to the bad people. The bad people are successful. They're rich. They have dominion. They have they have money. They have power. They have whatever they want. And the few hidden are are in ghettos and they're wearing yellow stars and and they're taking advantage of and of of in every way. So what does what does gull do? Gulos turns away Eden. Because if you open your eyes and you experience the world and you dial up all the numbers in your mind and you see look something doesn't something doesn't add up. And it says Hashem tells the says it's a waste of time. It's a waste of energy to worship and what what do we gain from keeping the anyone any that knows anything about his does knows my heart anyway is perish and then says that I'm going to come out and I'm going to tell you the truth and what the people there say is what gain is it you know that we keep Hashem's toy why should we walk submissively you know in the ways of Hashem why we don't gain anything we gain more you know the the look better and therefore we should support them and we should go with them and you know that is sort of the optics that is the as a result of gol so back to um so back to that is just a big mus because the ra introduced this idea that sometimes a person you know sometimes when a person gets into a a a when he has a behavior when he um consistently act in in in not not every person but there are examples whether it's or the Eden of there were inov or the Eden in in the beginning of that um that um talks about that in all these situations no I'm sorry not Mali don't forget it cancel the time right all these all these cases when it seems that Hashem is punishing people that did not have what the Ram is arguing is is that these people did have for most of the time they had and they had years and years and years to get out of whatever bad situation they were in and they had a choice and they didn't and they persisted. You persist again again year in year out at a certain point Hashem says you deserve to be punished and therefore I'm not giving you the option to come clean anymore. You now again this is a very high level of of cha or a very low level of of um you know of of a person driving himself down that down a drain. But it comes a certain point where says that's a point of no return and that's it. But this other issue in that's another that's just saying that indirectly as a result of punishing the optics look so bad and that turns off men from anyway but back to the point and this seem to imply that compels people to do a so we solve this issue and we came to a clear understanding and therefore we come back to the drawing board and that is the foundational principle and that is foundation a person has free will and he chooses his actions what he what he wants he does and what he doesn't want he doesn't do and therefore that's why Hashem punishes him on on his evil and because because he had the option not to do it and therefore therefore I we come to you and we tell you you have the option to correct your path you have the option to refine your character you have the option to work on yourself work on your mid work on your eating habits work on the way you talk to people, look at the way you look on the street, walk just you could work on all these things because and it's incumbent upon you because you have the control. You control your own self. You control your own destiny. And therefore, take control of it, take responsibility for it. And um and because no one is manipulating you, no one is forcing you. And this is what it says in the means, if no one is going to look out for me, then who will? And therefore the masis right that everything that I need I have with I I I have all the tools it's in my ability and I I could take control and if I do then I will be a good person and I will be a praiseworthy person. I'll be au you could you there's a path of au there's a path of bum that's what the mission says you could choose and a and bum both had a choice and they both chose their path and that's why they're praiseworthy and the opposite and you yourself every single day of your life because what are the chances that you're in this very exclusive club of par and you're not that good you're not that special don't take the credit for yourself you have the option you saw mana manasha is someone who happened because of even could do if man could do maybe doesn't was a different time. But the biggest they all had had had the the option to do chuva. So you definitely could do chuva. You're not that bad. You're not as bad as they think. And the reason why you want to tell yourself that you can't do cha and you're being manipulated whether it's by nature, by genetics, by astrology, by Hashem's will, by whatever it is, it's all laziness. It's all you're running away from responsibility. You know that the second you really reckon with the fact that you are in control. The second you really take ownership of your own situation, then you understand what you need to do. Then you understand that that you have your work cut out for you. You could look at yourself in the mirror and say that the reason why I'm a mess and the reason why I am not the person that I want to be, the reason why I'm not the father that I always thought, the husband that I always thought, the he that I always thought, the reason why I am not that person is only me to blame. And only forget it. You can stop blaming everyone else. Look at yourself in the mirror. Understand that Hashem tells you today and therefore you have and you will be treated based on your cho the choices you make. So learn take control of your actions and you'll be a good person hopefully but you have your work out for you and stop making excuses. So that is sort of where the Ram ends and he just has one one one little point that he didn't mention yet and that is the question of so that is something we'll see in Mashem next week and hopefully the next week we'll finish. Please stay with us and maybe we have an exciting project for after I mentioned