Rabbi Boruch Leff has been mezakeh us with Part 3 of his series of shiurim on Bilvavi Vol. 2, Chapter 12. The shiur discussed the concept of davening for everything in our lives, even spiritual success. But where's free will if G-d is giving me my spiritual success? Are you allowed to ask for things on Shabbos? Why should we daven so that we should be able to daven?CLICK HERE to get the shiur!
P.S. You can get "Shabbos in My Soul," Volumes 1 and 2 by Rabbi Leff, for the price of one, HERE.
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2 comments:
Dixie Yid- how did you understand Bilvavi Vol. 2, perek 10? It's the one where he discussed that every single thing, even as small as one's finger movement, is ordained/controlled by Hashem. Of course, Bilvavi quotes a source from chazal which cannot be refuted, but there is also the issue of bechirah chofshi and reward and punishment, which Bilvavi does not address at all in chapter 10. Of course, these issues of Hashem's knowledge versus free choice have been long since addressed by the Rambam and others. Here, however, Bilvavi discussed so vividly not that Hashem KNOWS but that Hashem is CONTROLLING every little finger movement. It's that component with which I am grappling.
Do you, Rabbi Weinberger or Rabbi Leff have any input in this regard?
This is a major topic and Rav Shwartz does address it in other places. Look in Bilvavi 5, in the 40th Ma'amar of the Pirkei Avodah U'Machshava section, where he addresses the issue.
The short of it is that it is true that we have bechira (after all the Torah says "U'vacharta Ba'chayim" so we must have the ability to choose) and that there can be no such thing as free will. The trick is first of all knowing that we can never understand how the "two truths" can co-exist and also to understand than we can only understand each one existing on different planes of reality. In the human reality and the human experience, in the Olam Ha'asiya, we have free choice, as Hashem has told us. On the other hand, there is a higher understanding that we are capable of accessing...
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