When God Breaks his Own Rules | Rabbi Shmuel Goldin

to in our continued study of uh saot we're going to take a step back today and we're going to take a look at the overall picture and at some problems that emerge when we consider that overall picture today let's begin with a review of a balance that exists in our lives we've spoken about this before between pressence predestination and Free Will pre means that God knows what's going to occur predestination that determines what's going to occur and Free Will is our belief in our belief in Free Will which of those three do we believe in preci predestination and Free Will the answer is all of the above correct all of the above and we believe them in a very very delicate balance on the one hand one might argue that if God knows what we're going to do then we're not we don't have free will but our argument is no that's not the case that God's knowledge of our actions before they occur is not a does not limit our decisions when we make them to simplify a very very simp simplification if I take a time machine into the future and I see that you're going to cross uh ROV at 2 o'clock tomorrow afternoon and I come back and I don't tell you I don't give you that information the fact that I know you're going to cross at 2:00 tomorrow afternoon does not mandate that you have no B you are going to cross of your own free will so in a sense God's knowledge there's only one there is only one commentary that I'm aware of from the Middle Ages who says that God limits his own knowledge to give us free will in other words God limits and does not and consciously decides not to know what we're going to choose but most of the commentaries will say no we don't limit God's knowledge at all but that does not limit our Free Will and fine [Music] yes yes ra that's correct uh I'd have to look for and tell you but I'll I'm no in other words I don't know I just know that he was the one who posited that position I'd have to look for it to find it in the source I I'll get back to you next time b t Okay and then there is of course the question of predestination do we believe in predestination and on some level yes we do we we don't get to choose when we're born to whom we're born uh what country we're born in all of what our DNA is I think I told you that my my Hebrew name is schmuel my English name is Stanley my father named me after a baseball player uh Stan usual because he didn't like the name Sam so schoel became Stanley in English and and I that's right H you know and and those of you the fact is that many of you recognize that when I told that to a young class they didn't know who Stan mu was I mean was he was anyway but my father had great great hopes for me and I didn't work out didn't work out I mean he would take me to the park and throw the ball and I would drop the ball and you throw the ball and I drop the ball so it became very clear that it wasn't in my DNA to to emulate Stan mu but the fact is that we believe in predestination on that level we believe that that kesu puts us in our particular box that box is what we have not of our free Choice and then we are to make the best we are to make the best out of that box we're to make the best out of what a gives to us and to and the rabbis have a beautiful way of saying this they say that that when the a child is about to be born or when a child is about to be conceived the the um the uh angel that is appointed over pregnanc and conception comes before a kades with this little drop and says what will it be wise or not wise um smart uh Rich etc etc but the one thing he does not ask will he be good or bad that remains our decision and therefore this the idea of saying that a lot is predestined but it's our our job to determine how we use it but we're going to look today at what happens God breaks his own rules and it in two levels first on a global level concerning the The Exodus story the story of and then we'll take a look at it in a in a particular place in that story who predicts to aam in the Brit in the Covenant between the pieces look at what he says take a look it was the shees was about to set great Darkness Falls on a and God says to I want you to know that your children your offspring are going to be strangers in a Strange Land they are going to be in a land that doesn't belong to them and they will wor cause them the citizens of that country will torment and work your Offspring for 400 years they will enslave them for 400 years now the 400 year is a problem because we weren't slaves for 400 years we were slaves for about 210 so there are those who suggest that the counting begins with the birth of yak and the argument might be that TI never feels comfortable in his own skin if you look carefully God speaks to him G gits dwell in the land he he's always and therefore one could argue that that's the beginning of of the 400 years others will say that four there's one commentary that says that 400 is the Bible's way of saying many years but that that that's not accepted by most not accepted by most and we have to try to figure out what the and there are those who say that because of certain Merit we had it was shortened etc etc and that's and that becomes our our own free will but he says you're going to be strangers in a Strange Land for 400 years and I will judge and I will also judge the people that enslave them we spoke about this and then they will go out with great wealth and this is a very important I I think I pointed this out to you before but I I constantly stress this the fourth generation of your off Offspring will return to this land why do they have to wait that long because the amorites who live in the land will not deserve to lose it until then they they're they evil will not reach a level where they need to be punished with Exile from their land or or destruction only after the fourth generation that means that we had to wait because of the rights of others and this is very important I had actually had a discussion again about this with someone recently how do we view the non-jew how do we View and I I had a whole conversation with one of my Rubin colleagues who his wife wife was in the store and she found that the non-jewish owner undercharged her and we said okay so go to him and give him what he deserves and she said no it's galum I can take it I can keep it and I there's a lot to talk about there about how we view the other and my argument would be that she's wrong that she's wrong and that that we canally prove that she's wrong but nonetheless nonetheless it's a it's an issue within the Jewish Community when we I often said we are supposed to teach our children that they are chosen that they're valuable but not that they're better than everybody else necessarily we have a unique Heritage we have a unique belief we have a unique communication and relationship with ales but others can join us too we're kind of strict as to how that happens but others can join us there and there and even if they don't and even if they don't I would love to be I would love to be I'll take it in a second I would love to be in the place in habo of the non-jewish pole or German who risked his or her life and their family's life to save Jewish people right I I would love to be in that in that place because that place is very high yes that's correct absolutely so now now now let's see how this whole thing relates to my problem all right if it there here God is breaking a rule all right when we spoke about when we spoke about um pressence and Free Will God's knowledge and free will we said that God knows what we're going to do but if he doesn't come and tell us then it doesn't affect our actions he's breaking his rule here right he is very specifically talking to Aram and he's aam at the time and he's saying to him there your children are going to be exiled he's predicting to Abraham the Exile in Egypt and the ensuing events and one has to wonder first of all did abam share this with us family do do yoseph and his brothers know about this in the next two generations we don't know we Torah doesn't tell us I mean this is a a tradition that either abam kept to himself or he shared but one way or the other if this is all predicted in this detail in this way then do brothers of yoseph have any blame they're just players on a predetermined scrip do does yoseph his Free Will what he does when he orchestrates The Descent of Ben Israel into Egypt is that is he only fulfilling a predestined event or is that his own decision is that his own free will all right that that that he that he knows that he knows that it's more it could be it could be yes but the question is if God tells Abraham what's going to occur then therefore there is a predetermined script the people who play out that script do they have free will in other words if God is saying this is going to happen it's going to be then do they have free will when they play out that that pageant if you will all right so yes Joseph or I would argue with you about that I would argue with you about that yoseph we we actually spoke about yoseph yoseph is not does not have n Yosef lives in a time of God silence he dreams he dreams but even those dreams are God is not present in any of those dreams when he's thrown into the pit does Hashem appear to him and say I'm going to save you you're going to be fine no when yov goes the house of love who appears to Joseph is lives in a time of God silence there's no clear but I can't hear you I'm sorry that's an interesting question she asks if someone receives a a vision a prediction and God doesn't say share it with the others do they have the right to share it or are they supposed and that's what we're asking about Abraham it's not clear what the what the ensuing Generations know about this it's not clear not that that's that's medish correct correct medish says that Yakov on his deathbed was going to predict the end of days and because it says heu and then it says heu which is a double language come together and therefore he was going to do something he was stopped according to the medri okay so yes okay okay so what you're suggesting is an answer what you're suggesting is God creates the broad brush brush Strokes the overall picture but he leaves the details to us right that's the key the key is to understand he may he knows what we're going to decide but we're deciding it ourselves and and therefore while the overall pageant May well be God's vision and is God's vision and God controls that the way it occurs there are those who say for example that we were enslaved daa because yose was sold as a slave it was Payback there are those who say that we were enslaved because of the fact that the this is very interesting uh tradition that the sons of Rael and Le used to make fun of the sons of Zill and B B and therefore what happens is says I'm going to make you all even I'm going to put you all you're all going to start in a low place because of what you're doing beautiful a beautiful tradition says that it's the hatred of Brothers that leads us down to MIT it's the love of brothers that takes us out MOS and Aro yes that's correct that's that's correct that's a a tradition that the brisan absor the vision is God's response to A's lack of total luno when he says but also but nonetheless what we're trying to do is we're trying to back up and see the big picture here yeah um so I was I was taught that just because Hashem knows something doesn't mean that we have to do it and you see all through life that people change what's predicted for them you see RAB aa's daughter you see all kinds of stories where it was predicted that this would happen and yet people have the abil to change and if everything that Hashem knows is what it is is then what is our reason for all right so the coming back to your to your comment yes we have the right to make those choices we most of us believe most authorities will believe that God knows the choic we're going to make if we're going to change he knows we're going to change but he's not making that happen he's not making that happen that is our choice when it occurs all right this is fine this is fine until we get to one particular point in the in the story of MIT right and that is what happens to parro's Free Will does far does par have the way you and I have and if not then we got a problem all right so take a look for example at some of the sukim in the Torah that talk about this issue when right away when a talks to Moshe at the SN the underlined section number page number three first paragraph I know says that that will not let you go and only will let you go if if he's forced to do so turn to the next quote and it gets much deeper here in this first quote he's saying I know what's going to happen he's not going to let you go in the second quote which is right before mosha begins to return to MIT and I will harden his heart I will make his heart strong literally and he will not let you go so if God hardens and and then to other other sources as the story progresses says over and over again or either made it strong or made it but one way or the other parro is robbed of it seems that parro is Rob robbed from his of his free choice right it seems that parro is robbed from his free choice now I I want you to I actually skipped on page two I forgot um to tell you that when we talk about the the prediction of the slavery and the fact that yosef's story brings it about there's a very beautiful medish that says when rovu sends yose to go to the brothers he sends himon from the valley of Kon now the problem is kon's come to you in a minute Kone has is a mountain is on mountains it's not it's not well that's one interpretation but but it's not the valley ofon so the medish says from the from the deep thoughts of the man who's buried in Kon that's Abraham this is the beginning of the Fulfillment of his vision so again issues there but come back now to parro yes okay well well if it we'll we'll get to that we'll get to that it's a it is it a is the God will God take away our Free Will at a particular point in our sinning is that does that happen could it happen all right so let's see the rabbis struggle the Kim struggle with this question this is not a new question and it's been answered by classical commentaries and and and by more modern commentaries if you take a look at the bottom of page three bottom of page four I'm sorry right all right hold on a second so if you take a look at page four take a look at the at the quote uh the second second paragraph hardened his heart that's the quote from from here there is a an open door to those who would attack us robbed from the opportunity of doing Chua and and we have to answer that question this is this is a serious question the Ezra goes even further and simply says if God hardened his heart then what's his sin what's the transgression obviously he has no choice so the rabbis will offer a whole variety a whole variety of interpretations if you take a look at page five if I can find page five the bottom of page four and the top of page five it's the first one now this one is shadal shadal SCH David lato lived in the 1800s was a so he's a more contemporary scholar he was there was controversy about him because while he was observant and and fully believed he would would didn't shy away from dealing with difficult issues and recognizing that there were issues so shadal says the following and I'm going to read the English on page five know that all acts can be ascribed to God because they are all caused by him some through absolute decree and some through man's free choice it can be therefore said that God as the author of all acts hardens parro's heart now this is this is this is this is this really begs the question right what does shadal say shadal says he had he had free will but God gave him the Free Will and and and the fact that he then did use the Free Will was part of God's actions but it does not answer the question take a look at the bra bar vanel now the bar vanel will offer three solutions um we'll see if any of them satisfy us right the first one is if you take a look on page five it's the big paragraph the underline first underlined section when man sins and this ties into your begins to tie into your comment when man sins against other people God will not immediately forgive that sin not give him an opportunity to repent because he has to First make it make it good between him and those he he wronged and therefore parro God hardens parro's heart specifically because of the pain that he's inflicted upon the Israelites the second answer which is uh sort of contradicts something contradicts something I told you a little earlier the second answer of is that Free Will is a specific gift only to Jews all right that's all right and and therefore it's it's a specific or the or the ability to do chuva is is only granted to God to the Jewish nation and therefore parro's outside now I'm not I'm not comfortable with this but but nonetheless that's the second CH and then finally the one second if you take the second finally the last the last suggestion of of the barel is the following that the hardening of faroh's heart is not a does not affect his free will it affects his ability to withstand the plagues withstand the plagues and therefore God is allowing him his heart to be hardened in order that he won't at the first plague all of a sudden just let them go now others will pick up on this a little bit more take a look at the farno the sparno says and this is very interesting the sparno suggests that the hardening of parro's heart is specifically designed so that he can do chuva for the right reasons what do I mean what does it mean that he hardened his heart he hardened his heart against the plagues same idea as ranel taking it one step further and therefore parro was able to was had his heart hardened to the point where the plagues would not convince him otherwise in other words the pain had to occur and parro parro a normal person after plague number one would have said okay go but is hardening parro's heart Vis of the plagues in order to ensure that when he lets the Israelites go he's letting them go for the right reason in other words he's really really doing Chua the Israelites are suffering through all this time it's very interesting all right the answer is by the way that I would argue that point with you because I don't know I wasn't there but I would argue that that they were watching the decimation of the Egyptian Empire step by step that's why God says V talks about stages and the rabbis will actually point to a particular language and say at this point the work got easier they took away the work from them and so what's happening is there is a freeing of the in fact one of the arguments as to why there are 10 plagues what why why doesn't God just create you know I think I think of I think of Wizard of Oz the bubble that that the good witch comes in why doesn't he create a big bubble and and Float us away why does he have to inflict 10 plagues or or if he wants to decimate Egypt why doesn't he decimate Egypt all at once why this process and one of the answers given is that it's for the benefit of the Israelites that they could not become free in one Fel swop they had to see the stepbystep decimation of all that was holding them enslaved it had to end with yamu and only if they saw that could they potentially could they potentially become free and by the way in spite of that this generation fails right so in other words becoming a I'm sorry interesting you weren't at you weren't at our earlier class if you take a look at the Torah and what what it says it says what happened was they broke out of go all right proof of that is according to some commentaries that when the anges comes to inflict the plague of the firstborn m I I have to mark my house next to my neighbors if I'm everybody's living in Goan and they only we're the only ones living in Ocean Why do I have to mark my house right so in other words and and we said that this was part of the in a sense this led to the enslavement because what they did was they broke out they tried to be like everyone else that caused greater hatred and and therefore so in a sense y safe orchestrates the first ghetto that's interesting because he's the most Cosmopolitan Jew in the Torah he orchestrates the first ghetto but the Israelites break out and over the generations they move into all areas of M according to many yes so you said that were living in the land they were not Z at that point they needed all this time whatever right but but that generation that left and went into they were not to go in to go in because that whole generation had to die out right so that I'm not you know I'm not really understand I'm not sure I understand the question not ready to go into the land we were not ready to go into the land right correct so did that coincide with it apparently did it coincided with when they deserve to lose the land deserve to go in but what I'm pointing out is how difficult freedom is for those who have never had it before in other words to move From Slavery to Freedom was something that required a stepbystep progression and nonetheless that first generation fails I think I thinking for example of a a young man I don't know if I told you this one a young man who I I met when I went made a trip to the Soviet Union to visit refus Nick and we brought him we Z to to bring him to the states there were things he couldn't believe for example we had two cars he could not believe we had two cars he thought that I pushed a button in one car and it transformed into the other but the idea that you could be wealthy enough or or good have the opportunity to have more than he would go to the store shop right go to the aisle of cereals and was paralyzed right because how don't what right so in other words when you're a slave you don't have to make decisions when you're a slave you don't have to you don't have choices there's something comforting and not being the one to make all those decisions it's like please we we stay away from from Pol political points so here yeah stay stay with me stay with me all right all right now we're going to take a look at the the approach that I believe is the one that we're going to end up with that we'll be most comfortable with but I want you to see it inside as well the medish quotes at the bottom of page six medish quotes R Lu now now Rish is an very specific character in in Jewish thought Rish begins as a bandit he begins as a as Someone who robs people a Highway Man and what happens is he one day encounters RAB yohanan who is washing in the river or in the Stream and Rish and ranan ranan is a very very handsome man and therefore what happens is reaban turns to him and says if you will repent if you'll do chuva what's GNA happen I'll give you my sister as because my sister is even prettier than I am he makes a business deal with makes a business deal with him right and what occurs what occurs he does he does he turns the turns the corner now so R Lish now is saying this and I want you to think about him as he said says this God will warn a person first time second time the third time and and if he refuses at that point to heed the warnings then no in order to have the the payment of punishment that this person deserves in other words you can lose the opportunity to do Chua through repetitive sin that's what he's saying and I always wondered whether or not specifically R Lish said this because he was at the end of The Cliff where bokan pulled him back in other words perhaps he reached or recognized that you could reach that point where you you're not going to be able to make a choice anymore it's become so habitual it's become so ordinary to you that you're going and that may be God robbing you of the ability to do Chua and therefore the Lish will say very specifically that that the hardening of parro's heart occurs because of paro's repetitive sins and the textual evidence is someone pointed this out it's in the second on page number seven if you look at the tup suim this is the transition from plague number five to plague number six in plague number five what does it say it's page page seven what does that literally mean heart was hardened or became hard it doesn't mention that God is hardening his heart right parro's heart turned to stone and he didn't that's correct correct in other words he himself this was it this was as a result of his own free will whereas in the next plague plague number six what does it say there there when he gets to sit PL number six by that time raish would say he's reached the point of no return Andes was G of not let him is not going to let him return because of he needs to have payback specifically the last quote that I have for you is from the Ramba and the rambam in the Mish Torah which is his work of specifically says this also on page seven I'm sorry it's possible that a person can sin greatly and and and to the point where the Judgment before the true judge who's the true judge KES right now that a person can sin so greatly that God will Free Will is a gift that's the point is making Free Will is not an inalienable right it's a gift and the gift can be taken away and the gift will be taken away when a person sins so greatly that he deserves or she deserves to reach a point where that she has to be punished he has to be punished for this and I'm not going to allow them to do Chu and therefore what R this is a continuation of rl's position codified in Hal in the r and if you take a look at the next underlined section is so first he he sinned by by dealing evily with the Jewish people of his own free will and as the process continued kesu then robbed him of that Free Will and this is a very this this this is pretty controversial point of view because there are sources in the townwood that talk of people doing cha at the last moment and and that's no no we're we're moving away from that we're saying that this we're saying this is Jew and non-jew all right in other words we're saying that that everyone has the opportunity to do Chua but that sometimes you you've reached a point where God can will take away that gift and that and it's not anable right you don't have it and have it for good you can lose it and this is very excuse me is it different on a national level um I don't know I it's it could be it could be right he's not doing Chua no that's the the point is the point is right the point is that you reach the point he reached the first five plagues according to this he could have done chuva the sixth plague onward he couldn't even who was that opportunity was taken from him and that's what it means when it says that even if he wanted to do shuva at that point and and I remember when I was in in high school a a one of our one of my one of my contemporaries was doing a debate on television with uh a Catholic um a priest or and at one point he turned to and said according to your tradition according to your tradition the Nazi guard who powerfully punished my inflicted pain unbelievably on my grandfather goes to heaven if he turns around and says I want to I want to repent whereas in your your tradition the Jew that he persecuted Goes to Hell In other words they I would I would rather be part of a nation and part of a tradition that fundamentally says there comes a point of no return there comes a point where Hitler where Hitler can't do Chua can't even if he wants to there comes a point where you lose that opportunity and I think that that's that's the real answer to my mind as to what it means when it says clearly what happened was parro sinned and sinned again and again every one of the before the plagues he slaved the Jew the Israelites and therefore he loses the opportunity to do J yes first time second third yes that's correct well he right parro has numerous opportunities to do cha numerous opportunities yes the nation is the concept that somebody has has to do what what he did that par and right there's a the con the concept that the Egyptians and that the that those who enslaved us were the hand of God because this is what God wanted to have happen but we come back to that we said if we believe that God wanted wanting it to happen indicates what indicates that that he's controlling their Free Will that's problem right it it creates a problem for us what they are because of their decisions they end up being the arm of aades because of what they did they end up being arm yes it seems like a natural process like for instance we say well if you don't get the Mitzvah then you will be cut off you know your family will be cut off right well if you don't keep the Mitzvah and you assimilate you be off I mean nobody's like there's not a thing from heav you know it's it's a one could argue that this concept is played out in our lives through our Behavior what things be you can you can sin to a point where the sin becomes so habitual that it becomes part of you rather that you can't break exactly that's what's being that's what's being said that's possible as well that could be the playing out of this concept God leads you in the path that you choose right in other words so these are all all possibilities in other words what we're saying is you can reach a point where your free will disappears and when you're so habituated that's one possib I I I I habits are so powerful I had a friend um who was a chain smoker he would smoke a pack a day when it came to chabas he put down the cigarette and if you said to him Sid don't you missed the cigarettes he'd say shus he lit the next cigarette from the havdala candle all right in other words he he basic but somehow he was able to break the Habit what he failed to learn is that chabis is supposed to inform your entire week it's not supposed to just be a a time when you where you do certain things it's supposed to inform your behavior throughout the week unfortunately tragically he passed away from lung cancer but the fact is that that you can break habits if you want all right so I want to go back for that not you don't have shabas all week it's supposed to inform the week it's supposed to supposed to teach us what we can do during the week There's a I want you to think for a moment going back to this concept of God painting the big picture and US playing out the details we we live that if you think about it R Sal now said that the contribution of the Jewish Nation to historical awareness was that we introduced the concept of a destiny driven history as opposed to history caused causality so until that moment and now for many in the world what is history what it's one generation causes what's going to happen or lays the groundwork for what's going to happen next and next and next and we're just traveling long comes the Jew and says no we're going somewhere we're traveling somewhere we're moving in a particular direction now if that's the case going back to our original question if God Paints the broad brush Strokes if he tells me that msia is going to come no matter what so then why do I need to do all this right I just sit back and say KES you're going to bring mhia he told me he's going to come why do I have to strive so the answer of course is mashiach's going to come but when he comes how he comes with what pain or what glory and how many of us will be there to greet him or our children or children's children will be there to greet him all that's determined by our actions all determined by us and therefore although we are promised that we are going to reach that Destiny we have to work at it because we want it to happen the right way and we want to be part of it as opposed to outside so anyway that we we we dealt with some very very difficult questions today I hope you feel that we answered them appropriately if there are no more questions or suggestions I'm going to give you a break