by Rabbi Avi Billet
Towards the end of the Torah portion, Moshe reflects on the experience of 40 years, noting, among other things, that during this time the people didn’t eat real bread, drink wine or other alcohol, and didn’t experience the deterioration of their clothing and shoes. This led into the readiness to fight against Sichon and Og, and to be able to trust that God would be with the Bnei Yisrael through their travails.
Before going into those details and specifics, however, Moshe tells the people, “God has not given you a heart to know, eyes to see, and ears to hear, until this day.” (29:3)
Meshekh Hokhma explains,
“The children of Israel had often made the mistake of contributing divine powers to Moses, whereas he was merely a mortal messenger of God, through whom He communicated on matters respecting the Jewish people. When were they finally cured of this delusion? On the day that Moses died. Then they realized he was but mortal like themselves, and all the miracles and wonders were directly derived from the Divine will. Now our Sages observed that Moses uttered this discourse on the day of his death, as his final testament. For this reason, it is stated that, ‘God hath not given you a heart to know… unto this day’ – the day Moses died. Only then could they realize that God was behind every step and turn.” (translation taken from Nechama Leibowitz, Studies in Devarim (English Edition), page 292)
This interpretation comes in the wake of others who either blame God for their inability to see, etc. or their own inability to grow due to rote or, as Nechama Leibowitz puts it, “the deadening effect of familiarity and habit.”
Moshe is coming to tell the people, in advance of his passing and disappearance from the scene, that he was only a messenger, an emissary from God. But the destiny of the people is in their own hands, to decide what future will be written for them. In their hands alone is what will determine their personal destiny – will they follow the path of Godliness, or will they fall prey to the weaknesses of the human condition, to get distracted from their aims, forget, and resort to pettiness, weakness, blaming everyone and everything, rather than staying focused on what their true goals in life are, and how they are meant to achieve them?
We are often challenged by the question of whether we have free will, or whether everything is divinely ordained. On a simple level, there is a delicate balance which is articulated by Rabbi Akiva in Pirkei Avos 3:15, when he says “Everything is anticipated, permission is given…”
Rambam fleshes out what Rabbi Akiva was saying:
“This statement touches very deep subjects, and no one could touch them in this way other than Rabbi Akiva. This is a brief explanation, which you can only understand if you’ve understood what has been shared prior. Everything that happens in this world is known to Him and He is aware of it. This is what ‘All is anticipated’ means. Afterwards [Rabbi Akiva] was saying, ‘don’t think that just because He knows what a person will do that that means the person is obligated to follow that path, or that the person is predestined for that path. It is not so! Rather, every person chooses what he will do.’ When he said, ‘permission is given’ he meant ‘Every person is given the right to choose his own path’ – as we have explained in the 8th chapter.”
Rambam refers to the 8th chapter in his “Shmoneh Perakim” in which he goes into much greater detail about the role of free will v God’s will, even giving examples of Shidduchim, and the excuses given by those who steal (arguing “it’s God’s will! that I should steal”), etc.
The fact is, as we will read next week in the Torah, God places before us choices. The example we’ll see in Nitzavim is the choice between life and good v death and bad. God instructs us to choose life! But the point is there is a choice! (Devarim 30:15,19)
So we are faced with this question. How much do we see the hand of God in our experience? How much do we see ourselves guided by God and the Torah in the choices we are encouraged and emboldened to make? Do we truly know the difference between life and good v bad and evil?
Good people of the world will agree that murder is wrong, and that killing someone due to a disagreement is a horrible crime. But is there ever a space to take someone’s life? We all know the answer to that. When attacked, you must defend yourself. If the life of the attacker is taken – this is a classic case of self-defense. [What gives the attacker the right to attack, especially when not physically provoked? Nothing! That person is a criminal!] Wartime also brings with it the loss of many lives. It is a horrible reality of the human condition, and once again begs the question, why is there a war? Who started it? For what aims? What will it take to end the war? [Answer: all out victory and complete surrender by the defeated.] The killing of enemy combatants, and tragically some innocent civilians along the way, is part of the necessary evil that is war. But there is no getting around that when people are attacked, they must defend themselves. The sentiment “When one comes to kill you, kill him first” is well documented in Rabbinic writings. (see Sanhedrin 72a)
God may very well know what people will choose to do, and God may very well give people the knowledge, the understanding, the courage to do what is needed, and the ability to be successful. (see Devarim 8:18)
People, leaders, even great leaders, are still mortal, are still merely human. The message Moshe Rabbenu was sharing is that “this was never about me. I was the person chosen for this time, for this position, for this place. But my goal was to bring you to the Promised Land. Whether I would get in there would be a point of conflict between God and me, and my non-entry is for reasons that may be beyond everyone, because that is what God ordained. But God is the one bringing you to the Promised Land, no matter which person is standing in front of you, and you have to make good choices that are positive and helpful to yourselves, your children, your posterity, because complacency, rote, ‘the deadening effect of familiarity and habit,’ all breed an unsustainable blah of purposelessness.”
So yes, there is free will. And yes, God sees the future. But there is a genuine partnership between humans and God in pushing the needle in the direction it will go to write the story of humanity, and in particular that of the Jewish people.
May we be blessed to see God’s hand in our existence, and to not fall prey to complacency and simple satisfaction in what we have achieved thus far in our lives. There is always more to do, more to accomplish, and there are great decisions to be made – hopefully without major distractions – as to how we will get closer to Him in our lifetimes.
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