Letter & Spirit: G-d’s Omniscience and Man’s Free Will

In this week’s edition of Letter and Spirit, we present a letter from the Rebbe in which he addresses a number of questions on the seeming contradiction between G-d’s omniscience and man’s free will, evolution and Aggadah on medicine. The letter was written in English through the Rebbe’s trusted secretary Rabbi Nissan Mindel, and was made available by the latter’s son-in-law, Rabbi Sholom Ber Shapiro.

This weekly feature is made possible by a collaboration between CrownHeights.info and Nissan Mindel Publications. Once a week we publish a unique letter of the Rebbe that was written originally in the English language, as dictated by the Rebbe to Rabbi Mindel.

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 By the Grace of G-d

5712

Mr. ________

Brooklyn, N.Y.

Greeting and Blessing:

In reply to your letter and questions contained therein:

  1. Re the apparent contradiction between the Omniscience of G-d and man’s Free Will (or choice of action), there is a whole literature dealing with the subject, and it is impossible to give an outline of it in the course of a letter. I would refer you, at least to the Rambam (Hilchoth Teshuvah, ch. 5). However, I cannot leave you without some answer, so I will state very briefly:

G-d’s foreknowledge is no contradiction to man’s free choice. What could be a contradiction to free choice is compulsion, not knowledge. Hence a foreknowledge that is not compelling or forcing, is in no way a limitation on one’s free choice of action.

I will cite two illustrations. First, assuming that there are men with prophetic knowledge, their forecast concerning certain people does not compel them to act in a certain way and does not rob them of their free choice of action.

Secondly, as you know, G-d is not subject to time, and the past, present and future is all the same to Him (He Was, is, and Will be, all in One). lt follows, that G-d’s future is like the past, and as knowledge of a past action is no contradiction in free choice, so is His knowledge of a future action. In other words: G-d knows the thoughts of man and his decisions, and that knowledge does not rob man of thinking and deciding how to act.

II    Re your question as to my opinion of the theory of Evolution. You do not mention what Evolution you are referring to. Presumably the evolution of vegetable and animal life.

My opinion is, as stated in the Torah, that during the Six Days of Creation, G-d created the Four Kingdoms (minerals, vegetation, animal and man) independently of each other. Our Sages have enlarged upon this question in detail. However, this Creation does not deny the possibility of evolution within each particular species through various mutations.

III            With regard to your question concerning the role of Aggadah in the Talmud, particularly those dealing with medicine, I want to point out that you are touching upon two distinct questions: Aggadah in the Talmud, and Medicine in the Talmud.

As to Aggadah, not all Aggadot can be treated equally. In the various editions of Ein Yaakov you will find how our Sages classify the Aggadot of the Talmud.

As to the question of Medicine in the Talmud, not all medical prescriptions or remedies are as fantastic as some may appear. As a matter of fact, many medical suggestions in the Talmud have been confirmed in recent years as to their therapeutic value, although medical science had long derided them.

Generally speaking, however, inasmuch as the nature of the human organism has undergone many changes since those days, the medical advice contained in the Talmud cannot be applied nowadays. But it is quite certain that in their days the remedies were quite effective.

For references consult: Tosafoth Moed-Koton 11a  (beg. Kavra-fish), Kesef Mishnah, ch.4 of Hilechoth Deoth, ch. 18, and the sources mentioned in Sdei-Chemed, vol. of Kelolim, under “R” klal 54, where it is stated that due to physical and climatic changes, medical treatment and remedies of old no longer hold good generally,

In the History of Medical Science many illustrations are cited as to changes in both man’s susceptibility to disease and treatment, the development of virus attack, new diseases, etc. There is quite a literature on the subject, and there is no need for me to enlarge upon this subject.

I am surprised that you do not mention in your letter anything about your activities in influencing others to bring them nearer to Torah and Yiddishkeit, which serves also to strengthen one’s own convictions.

With blessing,

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The above letter is from the second volume of The Letter and the Spirit by Nissan Mindel Publications, in the Torah and Science section. The letters are from the archives of Rabbi Dr. Nissan Mindel, a personal secretary to the Previous Rebbe and The Rebbe, whose responsibilities included the Rebbe’s correspondence in English.

We thank Rabbi Sholom Ber Shapiro, director of Nissan Mindel Publications and the one entrusted by Rabbi Mindel, his father-in-law, with his archives, for making these letters available to the wider public. May the merit of the many stand him in good stead.