At a recent shabbat service, a young boy asked a question during our torah discussion of Genesis 4. He asked:
“If Joseph knew the dreams of 7 years of plenty followed by 7 Years of famine? Do humans have free choice? Or is everything already predetermined by God and the dreams?”
I was so impressed with this young boy’s question…it is certainly one of existential reflection.
How can we reconcile human free will with the understanding of an omnipotent God? Are our dreams predetermined by divine destiny?
I would like to explore this question in the context of three books:
- Consolation of Philosophy written by Boethius around 524 BCE.
- Why Bad things happened to Good People by Rabbi Harold Kushner
- The Torah.
Consolation of Philosophy was composed by Boethius while he was imprisoned, awaiting execution on charges of treason. The work reflects his philosophical musings on fortune, happiness, and the nature of human suffering. Boethius tackles the apparent conflict between human free will and the omnipotence of God by exploring the nature of God’s foreknowledge and human freedom.
Lady Philosophy explains to Boethius that God’s omniscience—his ability to know everything past, present, and future—does not negate human free will. She argues that God’s knowledge is not bound by time. For God, all moments (past, present, and future) exist simultaneously in an eternal “now.” This means that while God knows the future, this foreknowledge does not force or cause human actions. Rather, humans still act freely within time, making choices that are genuinely their own. Humans move through time sequentially, only going forward. While God exists across all temporal periods simultaneously. Boethius introduces the concept of God’s knowledge existing in an “eternal now” where God does not foresee future events but sees all events at once. This perspective eliminates the idea that God anticipates or reacts to human actions, thus preserving human freedom.
Why Bad Things Happen to Good People by Rabbi Harold Kushner was first published in 1981. The book explores the question of why suffering exists, particularly when it happens to good, innocent people.
Kushner offers a perspective on the problem of evil, particularly how it relates to the coexistence of human free will and an all-powerful God. His approach is influenced by his own personal tragedy—his son’s illness and death—and the struggle to reconcile suffering with belief in a benevolent and omnipotent God.
Kushner suggests that while God is all-loving, he is not all-powerful in the traditional sense. Instead of adhering to the conventional view that God controls every event in the world, Kushner argues that God does not have the power to prevent all suffering or to interfere with human free will. He emphasizes that God created a world where humans have the freedom to make choices, and with this freedom comes the potential for both good and evil actions.
Instead of preventing all suffering, Kushner suggests that God’s role is to provide comfort, strength, and companionship to those who are suffering. God does not cause bad things that happen but is present with those who endure them, helping them to cope and find meaning.
In this way, Kushner reconciles human free will with the existence of suffering by suggesting that God’s omnipotence is not about controlling every aspect of life, but about being a source of love and presence in a world where suffering is sometimes unavoidable. This interpretation allows for both human autonomy and the continued belief in a compassionate, loving God.
While the Torah portrays God as all-knowing and all-powerful, it also consistently depicts humans as having the capacity to choose between good and evil. One example is in the story of Adam and Eve (Genesis 16). God gives them the freedom to choose whether or not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge, even though he knows the consequences of their choice.
The Torah frequently emphasizes that humans are responsible for following God’s commandments, which implies human agency and the ability to choose to obey or disobey. For example, in Deuteronomy 30:19, the Torah says, “I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life…” This verse suggests that people have the freedom to choose their path, even though God provides the framework of commandments.
In the Torah, God’s involvement in the world is seen as both direct and indirect. While God is depicted as actively guiding events, such as in the Exodus from Egypt or the lives of the patriarchs, humans are still portrayed as making their own choices. The tension between divine providence and human freedom is often framed as God working through human actions and decisions to fulfill his purposes, even though people are free to choose their actions.
Returning to the young boy at the Shabbat service who explored the dreams of Joseph, the story of Joseph and his brothers in Genesis shows how God’s plan is fulfilled through human decisions, but the characters are still responsible for their choices.
Upon conclusion, I am inspired by the words of Victor Frankl, a renowned philosopher whose wisdom was born out of his experience in the holocaust.
“We have absolutely no control over what happens to us in life but what we have paramount control over is how we respond to those events.” -Viktor Frankl, Meaning of God
The compassion and support of God/Hashem to our human responses in the face of suffering provides a key addition to Viktor’s wise words.
