By Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
SAN DIEGO, California — A couple of weeks ago I appeared on a panel at El Cajon Valley High School to speak about the similarities and differences between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The other panelists were an evangelical minister and an Imam.
The students asked lots of intelligent and probing questions, and as often is the case, a lot of the discussion was devoted to our religion’s attitude toward free will versus determinism. Here is the problem in short: If God is all knowing, then human beings do not have free will because God already knows what their next move will be. But if human beings have free will and God cannot know what we will do next, then God is not all knowing.
This is not a new theological conundrum. The rabbis of the Talmud tried to solve it with their well known conclusion: all is foreseen, yet human beings still have free will! In other words, we live with the contradiction!
In truth, however, most religions do end up emphasizing one or the other of the two poles. Judaism very much accepts that human beings do have free will and control over our actions. This, in fact, is the greatest lesson of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur: we are accountable for our actions and we have the power to change.
Rabbi Eliezer Menachem of Shach found this lesson in this week’s parasha, Korach.
Korach was jealous of Moses and Aaron. He wanted to remove them from leadership and make himself chief instead. He gathered followers and led an uprising against them.
Moses challenged Korach to a duel. Korach and Aaron would each offer incense. Whomever’s offering was accepted by God would be proven the true leader of Israel. The loser, however, would die an unnatural death.
Needless to say, God accepted Aaron’s offering, but the earth opened up and swallowed Korach and his followers. This left no room to doubt Moses’ and Aaron’s authority.
Rabbi Menachem Mendel was baffled, however, because Moses Maimonides (the “Rambam”) had written in his letter to the Jews of Yemen that everyone who stood at Mt. Sinai believed in Moses’ prophecies and all that he brought to pass. Not only them, but their sons, daughters, and grandchildren, and all of their decedents. Korach, himself, stood at the base of the mountain and witnessed God’s wonders and Moses’ role in receiving the Torah. After all he had beheld and participated in, how could he rebel?
After considering the evil ways of Korach and his followers, Rabbi Menachem Mendel concluded that the Rambam could not have meant that everyone who stood at Mt. Sinai automatically accepted God’s sovereignty and Moses’ commission. Only those who chose to believe, believed. The experience at Mt. Sinai did nothing to change the hearts of those who had already rejected God.
Such was the case with Korach and his followers. They were not persuaded by the thunder, lighting, and other manifestations of God’s presence. They had already chosen their path of evil and no miracle could change their minds, no matter how great.
God has given us free will, which includes even the ability to reject God. God’s presence in our world and our religious faith can help shape our lives, but only if we allow them to penetrate our hearts and souls.
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Rabbi Rosenthal is spiritual leader of Tifeeth Isral Synagogue. He may be contacted at leonard.rosenthal@sdjewishworld.com