Kevin Bemel ·
Did You Know There Are 2 Types of Free Choice?
Parsha Nugget Devarim – Deuteronomy 1:1-3:22
Earlier this summer, my daughter spent her first week away from home. Talking with her on the phone I sensed her growing independence. And so begins the challenge of how much control I should give her and when. G-d dealt with the same question in parshas Devraim:
“You all approached me, and said: ‘Let us send men before us, that they may search out the land and bring us back word regarding the road by which we shall go up and the cities that we shall enter.’ The thing was favorable in my eyes; and I took twelve men from among you, one man per tribe . . .” (Deuteronomy/Devarim 1:22-23)
This week’s parsha begins the fifth and final book of the Torah. Deuteronomy/Devarim is known as Mishneh Torah, which means either repetition or review of the Torah or explanation of the Torah.
The Children of Israel heard the previous four books of the Torah directly from G-d who spoke through Moses’s throat. But Moses received Deuteronomy from G-d in the way that other Prophets received their messages. Then at a later date, he conveyed it to the Israelites.
At times Deuteronomy recounts certain events differently than the first time they appeared in the Torah. For example, in the above verse, Moses indicates he made the decision to send the spies into the Land of Israel. But in Numbers 13:1 it appears that G-d commanded Moses to send spies into the Land saying, “Send you men, that they may spy out the land of Canaan. One man, one man per tribe shall you send, each a prince among them . . .”
So who decided, G-d or Moses?
The commentaries reconciled the seeming contradiction by explaining the initial idea came from the people who made the request to Moses. He, in turn, consulted with G-d. According to Rashi, when G-d said, “Send you men . . .” He was implying that Moses should do as he saw fit. So the plan had human origins and Divine assent.
Why does the Torah use should a roundabout method to make its point?
In reality, this concept created a brand new paradigm. Up until then, G-d directed virtually everything that Moses and the Children of Israel did. They lived a cocoon-like existence while traveling through the wilderness led by the Tabernacle. The case of the spies was the first time the people originated a significant proposal and was told essentially “do as you want.”
With G-d as your director, you can proceed with confidence that you are doing the right thing. But when you make your own decisions, determining the appropriateness of your actions is much more complex. As well, the risk of failure or walking into a minefield is much greater. But upon entering the Promised Land, G-d would no longer micromanage the Israelites’ lives.
The Two Levels of Free Choice
The first is when you receive specific instructions from G-d. You have the option to obey or not, but since your soul is a part of the Divine, deep down you desire to follow G-d’s direction. Because you are intimately connected to the Creator, you only want to do good, which is doing what G-d asks of you. Sometimes your evil inclination gets the better of you, but most often you crave to follow your inclination to be virtuous.
Until the incident of the spies, this would have been your only choice. Thereafter, a second level of choice existed. Now, you can initiate action without G-d’s specific instructions. True choice came about.
By allowing us to originate our own plans, G-d increased the stature of human activities.
People took a more active role in determining the direction of Creation, with all of the risks and benefits such power entails.
The Torah’s wisdom can be used to guide both types of free will actions. By carefully studying the decisions of the Creator, hopefully, you will navigate your two levels of choice most effectively, for your family and the entire world.
What practices help you to pray most sincerely?
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Every year beginning on Simchas Torah, the cycle of reading the Torah, the first five books of the Bible, ends and begins again. Each Sabbath a portion known as a sedra or parsha is read. Its name comes from the first significant word or two with which this weekly reading begins.
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