The classical questions, the theological contradictions, the Kabbalistic foundations, the Chassidic interpretations... Insights, essays and stories on "Freedom of Choice"

Free will in Judaism is the capacity to choose between different courses of actions, words or thoughts—not due to outside influence, internal nature or any sort of personal preference. Just a balanced choice between right and wrong.

This notion that human beings can exercise their own free will when making moral decisions is axiomatic to Judaism. And the conflict between human free will and the omnipotence of his Creator is a pervasive theme in the Jewish narrative of history. Read More...

Free Will

How much choice do we really have?

By Tzvi Freeman

53 Comments

In Depth

Why It's Okay That Free Will Is Paradoxical

Free Will and G-d's Plans

Jewish Guilt

How Does G-d Decide What's Right and What's Wrong?

Inverse Realities

View All 11

In Brief

The Lady, the Tiger and Freedom of Choice

The Right Not to Know

An Online Course on Freedom of Choice

Lesson 1: Why and When Choice Matters

Lesson 2: Choice in Jewish Philosophy

Lesson 3: Choice in Jewish Mysticism

Lesson 4: Choice in the Human Experience

Meet the Instructor of "The Choice is Yours"

By Mendy Herson

Free Will Video

Free Will

What Jews Believe: Free Choice

Do We Really Have Free Will?

Free Will vs. Fate

Free Will Audio

Free Choice

Freedom: Are We Programmed?

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9 Comments

Fro March 13, 2019

Wonderful article. It takes me the thought that we humans are free to make a moral choice, but we have no say over the consequences of our choice in this context. Reply

leon roiter mendal baranquilla June 29, 2019

in response to Fro:

you are resposible To Fro: You are responsible for the consequences of your choice. You cannot blame Hashem for your actions.

All Jews are survivors. All those who made the right choice came out alive. We are all witnesses. Reply

Anonymous March 30, 2016

Limited free will There cannot be a completely free will for individual.

A cattle tied to a rope against a pole can graze at will in the circle formed by pole in centre and the rope as radius. The free will is so much as same.

There cannot be a free will unknown to god at any point due to omniscience and omnipresence. Just because people don't like the idea that they cannot have completely free will.. doesn't alter the truth..innumerable free and at times "contradictory" wills will be chaos..but it is not the way we see in this material world.

Completely free will should always manifest regardless of outcome, however a limited mind and soul distinct from that highest soul cannot have free will. That limitless "One" - its will is always manifested - that is the completely free will Reply

Mark Ingerman Newtown, PA/USA February 25, 2008

Freedom of Choice. When pondering the phrase of "Shall chose life...", It is not the prospect of Choice that G-d is prompting us to action. It is the Verb "Life".
The phrase describes in depth the act itself. Every waking minute we are confronted with a myriad of choices that lead to the same amount of outcomes. The very fact that this phrase dictates a process of choosing "Life or death..." is a choice in itself. The Torah tells us Life is given to us to choose the quality. To be ambitious. To strive for greater meaning in every waking moment and that these decisions will reflect ultimately the Glory of G-d.
Life and Torah are one and the same...
Live your choices. “You shall choose life..." Reply

Louie Cat Spring, TX February 16, 2008

Freedom of Choice One reader posted comment saying , "...freedom of choice means no outside forces upon you." To the contrary life demonstrates that freedom of choice is accompanied by forces that match the 'choice' made. For example, one has freedom of choice to go to the top of a building and jump off, but there are consequences of death.We can choose to run across a freeway and risk death or we can take the way of the underpass and choose life. Freedom means that a path, a walk of life, a way of living has been provided by G_d that is safe and it is free for the choosing; therefore choose life. Reply

Tzvi Freeman via friendsoflubavitch.org September 11, 2007

Re: Naomi's question Is the translation "shall"? Or is it ""should"? Perhaps it is G_d pleading with us to make the right decision. Or perhaps it is just good advice, "Why not choose life?" Hebrew is a very ambiguous language in this way, leaving us to rely heavily on context--and on questions such as yours. Reply

Naomi London, London via friendsoflubavitch.org September 7, 2007

Free Choice Do not the very words ''.... And you SHALL choose life." (Deuteronomy 30:15) negate the possibility of having free choice? Reply

mark montreal, quebec June 29, 2007

freedom of choice: See," proclaims the Torah in Deuteronomy 30:15, "I have set before you life and goodness, and death and evil... And you shall choose life."

I will make it simple to start with. If you have freedom of choice then why in the OT (especailly Deuteronomy) if you break the law then you are punished by death (e.g. the worship of foreign gods). By definition freedom of choice means no outside force upon you. A death threat precludes freedom of choice.

Even in modern times if you break the sabbath law, what is G-d's punishment? So how can there be free choice with a gun held to your head.

also: Did any orthodox Jewish person ask to be born as an orthodox jew? So what choice is there in who your parents are and how you are borought up?

Simple answer: G-d choses you, you don't chose Him. Reply

Anonymous March 9, 2006

Free Choice We have only one real 'free choice': We have to power to choose our environment.
Think of it like this : You go to a movie theatre, pay for a ticket, and take your seat as the film starts. It isn't any good, and so you decide to sneak into a different movie. This one is MUCH better. The movie is pre-made, you can't change the movie itself, but you can choose the movie that you are in. The movie is the world around you, each is an alternate reality, and a near infinite number of these exist. It is up to you to choose which one you are in, and the way that you do this cosmic 'sneaking into a better movie' is by sharing, by become a channel of the Light of the Creator.
In one movie, your wife/husband is grumpy, your friends talk behind your back, etc. You can actually change this 'reality' by improving yourself, primarily, as stated above, by sharing more. The more selfless the act of sharing, the better the new film. Reply