Free Choice
Choices are free; it is the consequences that we pay for dearly. Or, more dearly, that pay us.
Most things in life are beyond conventional choice. We cannot choose not to breathe and remain living. We cannot choose to cease eating and expect to grow older. Like the color of our eyes, our genes, families, minds, natures, abilities, are mostly ingrained in us and beyond our will to change. True free choice is what we choose to do with these parts that make us who we are and how we choose to live with the elements at our disposal. We cannot choose not to breathe, but we can choose what to do when we do breathe. We cannot choose to cease eating, but we very well can choose what to eat and how to eat it. These are the most freeing choices of all.
Vayeishev: Madoff And Holtzberg
If money is the source of your power and security, than money will also be your source of destruction and disgrace. Because after all, money is transient, and anything transient can never provide the firm foundation of security.
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Behar-Bechukotei: Jerusalem 2009
Take the “scoundrel” by its throat and strangle it. Not with your hands or with violence, but with light. Strangle darkness with light. Asphyxiate pain with joy.
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Vaetchanan: Religion and Ethics
What should our attitude and response be when we witness Rabbis arrested in chains?
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How the Alter Rebbe Changed the World
Over two centuries ago Rabbi Schneur Zalman presented us with an invaluable model of life that can be appreciated now more than ever. Freud and his colleagues may be the fathers of psychology today. But the Alter Rebbe is the true father of the psychology of tomorrow.
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Vayeirah : G-d’s Mysterious Ways
Our relationship with G-d is a two-way street: The more we immerse ourselves in our calling and the more dedicated we become to our mission, the more access we gain to the deeper mysteries of life.
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Are You Damaged Goods?
So there you have the psychology of Chassidus: There is no such thing as damaged goods.
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An Omnipotent G-d versus Free Will
Man does not intrinsically possess the capacity to freely determine his actions; rather, freedom of choice has been granted to man by an omnipotent G-d. “If G-d knows what I’m going to do, how could I have chosen?” is more a difficulty of our time-contexted perception than a true logical paradox.
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Individuality and Religion: A Frank Discussion About the Divine Service of Individualism
Most people would assume that religion is quite conformist, because it has a set of laws—it’s not moral relativism. That is flawed thinking, based on untrue assumptions about the nature of the self and the nature of G-d. Learn why in this frank discussion with Rabbi Simon Jacobson.
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The Determined Chooser: Choice vs Determinism
How much control do we really have over our actions? So can man be held accountable for his behavior? Is the good we do truly to our credit? Is the evil our fault? Isn’t it all a matter of genes and environment? A discussion of choice vs determinism.
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The World is a Ball: Spirituality in Soccer
In addition to the games’ entertainment and therapeutic uses, there is some significant lesson-taking to be gleaned from the hidden spirituality in soccer. A discussion in the spirit of the Baal Shem Tov, the founder of Chassidism.
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