[Avodah] God who knows the future

[David Riceman]

RAM:
> Logically, you are totally correct -- regardless of whether I actually 
> read tomorrow's newspaper, I can still choose whatever I want. But this 
> isn't a logical point -- it is an emotional one. The newspaper is 
> sitting there, and in that newspaper is reliable documentation of things 
> that I have not yet done. It isn't logical, but I am struck with terror 
> by the situation. Sure, I may FEEL like I still have free choice, but do 
> I really? I can choose to turn left, or to turn right, and I can change 
> my mind a thousand times, but ultimately, I WILL do what it says in the 
> paper. Is that free choice, or is it merely an *illusion* of free choice?

See Mishna Berachos 9:3 "If someone petitions about a past event (tzo'ek
l'she'avar) it is a false prayer. For example (keitzad), if his wife
was pregnant and he prays that the child is a boy, that is a false
prayer." Bartenura: "It is a false prayer because what happened happened
(mai d'haveh haveh)".

If what you say is correct it should be equally wrong to pray for a
boy before his wife got pregnant; after all, it was predetermined.
What distinction is the mishna making?

David Riceman