Jewish wisdom on free will, responsibility, and the reality of reward and consequence.
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The opening of this shiur, in Rabbi Dovid Orlofsky’s own words — taken from the captions, so names and Hebrew terms may be approximate.
[music and singing] [music] [music and singing] [music] >> With Hashem's loving grace, welcome to Emunah hour number 211. Tonight, with Hashem's help, we're learning the 11th principle of Emunah. learning the 11th principle of Emunah. This is the principle we called "It's Your Choice." This is reward and punishment and free choice. Principle 11, as Maimonides teaches us, I believe with complete belief that the creator, blessed be his name, rewards those who observe his commandments and punishes those who transgress his commandments. Which means we have to take responsibility for actions. We can't blame anyone else. It's all up to us. And so, what's up to us? Everything comes from Hashem. We learned the first principle of Emunah. Uh yes, but the Gemara clarifies that everything comes Gemara clarifies that everything comes from Hashem except for the reverence of Hashem. Fearing Hashem, honoring Hashem, this is up to us. So, whether we're going to honor Hashem's Torah and the mitzvahs or not, this is up to each one of us. We have to take responsibility. Because Hashem grants us the free will to do good or the otherwise. And what the Ramchal explains is there's no concept of reward and punishment outside the context of free will, free choice. Therefore, there can't be the slightest coercion in any direction. So, simply
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- 0:01[music and singing] [music] [music and singing] [music] >> With Hashem's loving grace, welcome to Emunah…
- 5:38time we observe a commandment We observe a commandment of Torah, it is a rectification of…
- 11:45go in society at the place of employment there's reward and punishment. In the family there's…
- 17:48something good but it was coerced and he couldn't do that good thing. But Hashem it's…
- 23:57Rabbeinu Bachya, he writes in his elaboration of Torah There's two Rabbeinu Bachyas. There's Rabbeinu Bachya…
- 30:04is fighting. Now, the difference between people in our group and other people is we know…
- 35:44to the ruach the spirit in the right side of the heart that in this case…
- 41:53she weighs 105 lbs, but she takes this wild stallion and and she trains him. She…
- 48:02That's what King David tells us in the Psalms, "My heart is is a vacuum inside…
- 54:11If I am not in a good mood and if I feel some type of heaven…
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