DEUT1632 Trust and free choice in the service of God. Human actions that constitute either service of God or transgression can take place only if three factors are present: (1) choice by the heart and mind; (2) intent and resolve to do what one has chosen; and (3) the effort to complete the intended act with one's outer limbs and bring it into actuality. In regard to what is not hidden [or removed] from us, such as the choice of service or transgression, and the intent and resolve to carry out what one has chosen, relying on God in these would be erroneous and foolish; for the Creator, make He be exalted, has left to us the choice of serving Him or rebelling against Him, as it is written: “Choose life” (Devarim 30:19). But the carrying out of the intended act of service or transgression He did not leave to us, but made it dependent on external means that are sometimes present and at other times unavailable. If a person relies on God in the [very] choice of serving Him, and says, “I will neither choose nor resolve to do anything in the service of the Creator, until He chooses for me what is best,” he strays from the straight path and deviates from the right way. For the Creator, may He be exalted, has already commanded us to choose the performance of His service and to direct our intent toward it with vigor, resolve, and whole heart, for the sake of His great Name; and he has instructed us that this is the right way for us in this world and the next. If the means are available [to us] and we are able to carry out the work of service which we had previously chosen, we will receive bounteous reward for having chosen God's service, for having intended to discharge it, and for having carried out its acts with our external limbs. And if our limbs are unable to carry out the acts, we will receive reward for having chosen and intended to do them, as we mentioned earlier. The same is true in regard to punishment for transgression [whether committed or only intended].

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DEUT1625 See [[DEUT551]] Deuteronomy 11:26 set GREENBERG 45

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DEUT1618 Before the impact of Greek-Arabic thought in the Middle Ages, Jewish philosophers concerned themselves little with the problem how to reconcile Freedom of Will with the conflicting idea of divine Providence and Omniscience. When this difficulty began to stir the conscience of Jewish thinkers, they were forced to come to the conclusion that one does not exclude the other. Corroboration for this they found in Sacred Writ [this verse, Jer. xviii. 7-11; Prov. v. 22; Ezek. xviii. 30] and in the cardinal belief of Reward and Punishment. What sense is there in rewarding an act which must be done, or in punishing an act performed by an automaton when constrained to do so at the pulling of strings by a hidden Power? It should be noted that Biblical reward is not material and personal but the survival of the nation under ideal conditions. These conditions were undisturbed peace, public welfare and social harmony in which all could freely participate and through which alone man could attain moral perfection. The best reward is the feeling of satisfaction experienced when something noble is done; the worst punishment is the feeling of guilt accompanying an offence against the better nature of man. (Continued at [[LEV1109]] Leviticus 26:3 If LEHRMAN 173)

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DEUT1631 To be sure, "The imagination (inclination) of man's heart is evil from his youth" (Genesis iii. 21); but when canalized towards righteous paths, this propensity to evil can be curbed by good example and constant reminder of the true moral standard. Our evaluation of the divine soul within us saves us from the belief in the depravity of human nature, a state of mind responsible for much that is harmful around us. Why should one strive towards perfection when tainted by "original sin"? Why practise restraint when one is credited with descent from an anthropoid ape? Robbed of the ethical incentive of noblesse oblige, man will behave as befits one springing from lowly origins. Judaism warns us that human nature is susceptible to sin and emphasizes that the soul was given to us in a pure condition and it is our bounden duty to keep it pure. "Behold", says the wisest of all men (Eccl. vii. 29), "this only have I found, that God made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions." Once we admit moral freedom, we must automatically admit moral responsibility. One is a corollary of the other. Freedom of will is not negatived by a staunch belief in divine Providence. Both are correlative and complementary. (For further reference on this subject see: [this verse], Jer. xviii.7-11; Prov. v. 22; Abot iii. 19: iv.I.) Not all who mock their chains are free. To possess freedom without moral responsibility is to be forced often to place manacles on our hands to keep them from trembling.

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DEUT1623 Overindulgence drives us from the way of moderation. We also lose our way when we defy the natural level of desire that is healthy. In our affluent society, overindulgence is the more common pattern today. The Jewish tradition is clear not only accepting the reality of our desires but also in seeing that, at their root, desires are a force for good. Those inner urges that compel us to eat and to sleep, to procreate and to grow, motivate us to participate in the processes of life, and as the Torah says, we are to "choose life" [this verse]. But like all sources of physical energy--fire, nuclear power, electricity--our desires need to be handled properly or the result is almost certain to be disaster. Desires arise like sparks, grow to become surging currents and, if not channeled or guided, can end up jolting our lives toward outcomes we would never choose. Desires can be like the charge that passes safely along the well-ordered and insulated wires that the licensed electrician installs in our home, or they can run more like the lightning bolts the flash cross the night sky, wildly following their own course without predictable pattern, striking destructively wherever they will. We gain the benefits of a life of moderation only when we govern our desires instead of being governed by them.

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DEUT1630 See [[GEN480]] Genesis 4:7 master OXFORD 44-5

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DEUT1621 In the face of suffering and loss, there are two fundamentally different questions an individual or nation can ask, and they lead to quite different outcomes. The first is, "What did I, or we, do wrong?" The second is, "Who did this to us?" It is not an exaggeration to say that this is the fundamental choice governing the destinies of people. The latter leads inescapably to what is today known as the victim culture. It locates the source of evil outside oneself. Someone else is to blame. It is not I or we who are at fault, but some external cause. The attraction of this logic can be overpowering. It generates sympathy. It calls for, and often evokes, compassion. It is, however, deeply destructive. It leads people to see themselves as objects, not subjects. They are done to, not doers; passive, not active. The results are anger, resentment, rage, and a burning sense of injustice. None of these, however, ever leads to freedom, since by its very logic this mindset abdicates responsibility for the current circumstances in which one finds oneself. Blaming others is the suicide of liberty. Blaming oneself, by contrast, is difficult. It means living with constant self-criticism. It is not a route to peace of mind. Yet it is profoundly empowering. It implies that, precisely because we accept responsibility for the bad things that have happened, we also have the ability to chart a different course in the future. Within the terms set by the covenant, the outcome depends on us. That is the logical geography of hope, and it rests on the choice Moses was later to define in these words: [this verse]. One of the most profound contributions Torah made to the civilisation of the West is this: that the destiny of nations lies not in the externalities of wealth or power, fate or circumstance, but in moral responsibility – the responsibility for creating and sustaining a society that honors the image of God within each of its citizens, rich and poor, powerful or powerless alike. The politics of responsibility are not easy. The curses of Leviticus 26 are the very reverse of comforting. Yet the profound consolations with which they end are not accidental, nor are they wishful thinking. They are testimony to the power of the human spirit when summoned to the highest vocation. A nation that sees itself as responsible for the evils that befall it is also a nation that has an inextinguishable power of recovery and return.

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DEUT1619 Freedom of Will In The Torah. While the concept of freedom is found in the Torah primarily as an implicit presupposition of human responsibility, there are some rather explicit references to this principle in addition to the assurance to Cain: "And thou mayest rule over it." Moses concludes his farewell address to the people of Israel with the ringing: [this verse]. God Himself does not interfere in the human choice and takes no responsibility for the consequences that follow: "Out of the mouth of the Most High proceedeth not evil and good" (Lamentations 3:38). But God is not "neutral" in terms of the human struggle. To be good is to want to do good for others. So that God wants to see man choose the good. "Oh that they would have such a heart as this always, to fear Me and keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them, and their children for ever" (Deuteronomy 5:26).

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DEUT1620 From here R. Akiva ruled: A man is obliged to teach his son how to swim; and if he did not teach him, he [the son] is obliged to teach himself. Whence is this derived? From: "so that you live, you" (Yerushalmi Kiddushin 1:7)

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DEUT1624 R. Yishmael taught: "and you shall choose life" -- this refers to a trade. From here the sages ruled: A man is obliged to teach his son a trade; and if he did not teach him, he [the son] is obliged to teach himself. Whence is this derived? From: "so that you live, you" (Yerushalmi Kiddushin 1:7)

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