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We know that God told the entire torah to Moshe (with Moshe writing it down the second time) at Har Sinai. This must include the book of D'varim, because I have learned somewhere that there is a d...
Question
parshat-chukat
#2: Post edited
by
user8078
·
2020-08-13T18:30:17Z (about 4 years ago)
We know that God told the entire torah to Moshe (with Moshe writing it down the second time) at Har Sinai. This must include the book of D'varim, because I have learned somewhere that there is a dispute about whether Moshe also wrote the last eight verses about his death. (I've seen two opinions: he did with tears in his eyes, and Yehoshua wrote those.) Either way, Moshe knew the entire contents, including the episode that caused him to be denied entry into the land.- And yet he did it anyway, even knowing the outcome and that his pleas would not be granted. How do our sources understand this? Did he forget (or did God cause him to forget) certain parts of the journey chronicle after receiving torah? Did he remember but know he could do nothing else because it was already ordained, so he "played along"? Did he, even at the time, have the ability to act differently despite the torah already given to him -- maybe he could have spoken to the rock instead of hitting it, but (as foretold) he was overcome and hit it instead?
- I am aware that Avot 3:15 teaches that all is foreseen yet free will is given. I've always taken that to be referring to *God* -- God knows what we will do, but nonetheless we have free will to act. It seems that this free will depends on us not knowing what has already been determined. But Moshe knew, and so I am puzzled about *his* free will in the post-Sinai part of his life.
- We know that God told the entire torah to Moshe (with Moshe writing it down the second time) at Har Sinai. This must include the book of D'varim, because I have learned somewhere that there is a dispute about whether Moshe also wrote the last eight verses about his death. (I've seen two opinions: either he did with tears in his eyes, or Yehoshua wrote those.) Either way, Moshe knew the entire contents, including the episode that caused him to be denied entry into the land.
- And yet he did it anyway, even knowing the outcome and that his pleas would not be granted. How do our sources understand this? Did he forget (or did God cause him to forget) certain parts of the journey chronicle after receiving torah? Did he remember but know he could do nothing else because it was already ordained, so he "played along"? Did he, even at the time, have the ability to act differently despite the torah already given to him -- maybe he could have spoken to the rock instead of hitting it, but (as foretold) he was overcome and hit it instead?
- I am aware that Avot 3:15 teaches that all is foreseen yet free will is given. I've always taken that to be referring to *God* -- God knows what we will do, but nonetheless we have free will to act. It seems that this free will depends on us not knowing what has already been determined. But Moshe knew, and so I am puzzled about *his* free will in the post-Sinai part of his life.
#1: Initial revision
by
Monica Cellio
·
2020-08-02T18:00:44Z (over 4 years ago)
Did Moshe have free will when he struck the rock in the wilderness?
We know that God told the entire torah to Moshe (with Moshe writing it down the second time) at Har Sinai. This must include the book of D'varim, because I have learned somewhere that there is a dispute about whether Moshe also wrote the last eight verses about his death. (I've seen two opinions: he did with tears in his eyes, and Yehoshua wrote those.) Either way, Moshe knew the entire contents, including the episode that caused him to be denied entry into the land. And yet he did it anyway, even knowing the outcome and that his pleas would not be granted. How do our sources understand this? Did he forget (or did God cause him to forget) certain parts of the journey chronicle after receiving torah? Did he remember but know he could do nothing else because it was already ordained, so he "played along"? Did he, even at the time, have the ability to act differently despite the torah already given to him -- maybe he could have spoken to the rock instead of hitting it, but (as foretold) he was overcome and hit it instead? I am aware that Avot 3:15 teaches that all is foreseen yet free will is given. I've always taken that to be referring to *God* -- God knows what we will do, but nonetheless we have free will to act. It seems that this free will depends on us not knowing what has already been determined. But Moshe knew, and so I am puzzled about *his* free will in the post-Sinai part of his life.