[Avodah] Changing God's Mind

[Richard Wolpoe]

On Jan 27, 2008 1:19 PM, Richard Wolberg <cantorwolberg at cox.net> wrote:

> R' Micha wrote: By turning to the Borei one changes the factors that
> go into His
> decision.
>
> I understand the many answers given to: If God knows the future where
> is man's free will?


As part of the Tzimtzum [self-contraction] perhaps God does  not CHOOSE to
foresee the future



> But how would you respond to "If God is omniscient
> (and of course, knows the future), then how can His mind be changed?


Perhaps God's deicsions are by defintion conditional
I will sdestroy sodom UNLESS I finx x number of righteous people etc.


>
> In other words, God knows what His decisions will be, so it's almost
> an oxymoron to say that your prayers may change His decision.


Perhaps as  Above God is Omniscient but HE is not forced to use HIM
Omniscience in order to make room fro free will.

God - in order to make space for Human Free Will  Limits His own
omniscience.
IOW jsut becasue God is all-powerful does not mean He exercises that power.







> If you
> maintain that they may change His Mind, then His Mind had already been
> made up to change.


Or as above, every deicsion is contingent
E.G. If my kid does not come up with a good explanation I will punish him
for being late.  and then when  the kid explains why he/she is late, the
punishemnt is averred because of the conditional nature of the ultimatum.

So Perhaps in a way God is talking in shorthand.  As He becons Avraham re:
Sodom or Moshe re: the Israelites at the masecha, an implicit condtion
always exists



>
>
> Gut voch and gut luck (in responding to my impossible question).
> ri
> ______



-- 
Kol Tuv / Best Regards,
RabbiRichWolpoe at Gmail.com
see: http://nishmablog.blogspot.com/
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