[Avodah] Free Will

[Micha Berger via Avodah]

On Thu, Jan 05, 2017 at 01:12:57PM +0000, Rich, Joel via Avodah wrote:
: Consider the following assertion: HKB"H sets the world in motion based
: on specific "rules of nature." He allows those rules of nature to
: interact with our free will choices. In certain situations he chooses
: to intervene in a manner that cannot be proven or predicted in order to
: produce a specific result. Each of us is ultimately judged on our free
: choice efforts with some combination of results in this world and/or
: the next. Thus, suffering or success in this world may be "random"
: or HKB"H's direct influence.

: What % of Rishonim would find this description accurate? Achronim? Laity
: then and now? If this has changed over time, WHY?

We have numerous "universal hashgachah peratis" threads in the archive.
Search it for "universal HP".

RGStudent wrote on 29-Sep-2003:
> The Sifsei Chaim, Pirkei Emunah ve-Hashgachah vol. 1 devotes ma'amar
> 4 to the issue of whether there is hashgachah peratis on non-humans.
> He brings down three views:
> 1. The Ramban's (pp. 82-83): Hashem's individual providence is only
>    on those who recognize and cling to Him.
> 2. The Ramak's (pp. 83-87): Individual providence applies to animals
>    only when it relates to people. [This seems to be the view of R'
>    Aryeh Kaplan in Handbook of Jewish Thought vol. 2 19:7-8 pp. 288-289.]
> 3. The Gra's (p. 87ff.): Individual providence applies to everything
>    created. He quotes R' Yonasan Eybeshutz and Radal who agree.

Now what the Sifsei Chaim attributes to the Gra, RMMS attributes to the
Besht. See http://www.aishdas.org/avodah/faxes/protis.pdf or if you
don't want to invest the effort and trust my summry
http://www.aishdas.org/avodah/vol09/v09n042.shtml#12

Others attributed it to the Ramchal.

Why did things shift?

I think there are a few factors:

Lurianic Qabbalah, in some way I don't know. After all, RMMS makes
a point of explaining that belief that Hashem knows everything, even
belief in panentheism, doesn't necessitate universal HP. So it's
some teaching of the Ari's that I don't know or impacts the question
in a manner I can't figure out.

But I think more, it's the same forces that shifted the philosophical
world with Kant. To the Rambam or Or haChaim, the discussion of HP is
an ontological one. Their hashkafah projects focused on finding what
is objectively out there. To more modern baalei machashavah, the focus
is on explaining our experiences. The rishonim dealt with HP vs teva
vs miqreh (and possibly other categories, see Kuzari 5:20). After the
shift, HP has more to do with bitachon and human experience. One might
even argue that there wasn't a shift in substance as much a shift in
what the word "hashgachah refers to".

(And then personally I think that Chaos Theory requires that if anyone
is getting HP then everything has to be subject to it. Because over the
course of history, every flutter of a butterfly's wing will eventually
impact some moment in a life of someone who is supposed to getting HP.
<http://www.aishdas.org/asp/hp-chaos-and-qm>)

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             You cannot propel yourself forward
micha at aishdas.org        by patting yourself on the back.
http://www.aishdas.org                   -Anonymous
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