[Avodah] "God who knows the future"

[Joel C. Salomon]

On 08/03/2011 08:54 AM, David Riceman wrote:
> RTK:
>> To say that if G-d has total foreknowledge, then we don't have free
>> will, or if we have free will, then He doesn't have foreknowledge, is
>> a plain contradiction to what Chazal said. It's in Pirkei Avos. "Hakol
>> tzafui vehareshus nesunah."
> 
> I would say that the naive translation of that is: "You can do what you
> want, but God sees what you do".  "Tzafui" need not imply prediction.

Not sure if your naïve translation is even possible, but in the context
of the Mishna the apparent paradox (based on the usual translation
"tzafui"=foreseen) seems to be the point of what the Tanna is saying.

--Chesky