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internalizing what you know and living in accordance with it. I told he sat and yearned and wanted, and suddenly his father opened the will exists precisely in the enigma of the body (i.e., the true
myself: if he does not have awareness, I can’t do anything with him. door and told him, ‘My son, I changed my mind. I myself will take essential will, as was explained at length in the previous essay). In all
you.’” That is because when a person has intent, not only does he parts of a person, everything is absolutely the same as
And I asked myself: What is the difference? Why is Yossi break down all of the barriers in his way, but the barriers themselves it was before the sin, when there was no free will at all.
improving, whereas Danny is barely progressing? It was vital for are transformed into help and assistance. Thus, an individual who The secret of free choice is that it is the secret of the will
me to know this so that I may help others. Presumably, everyone had blocked him now supports him. The court will tell Shimon, (i.e., free choice lies only in a person’s will, and everything depends on
wants to see a change for the better in his life. Who doesn’t want to “As soon as your wife yelled a little, you gave up and abandoned that…). From here, we learn a great principle regarding
live in the Garden of Eden of faith? Everyone wants to change, but your resolve. But when Naphtali’s wife stopped him by force and
sometimes something stops a person, and he himself doesn’t know threatened to divorce him, he continued to want with all his heart, man’s service and purpose. Where does a person begin
what it is. Therefore, I prayed and asked my Father in heaven to until in the end she herself packed his bag and gave him money for and where does he end? Everything is brought to an end
illumine my eyes and help me learn and understand this basic point: the trip.” with the will! The will is the beginning of the man, and
to know the secret of what differentiates them, so that I will be able it is everything.
to help all people know from this day onward how to be worthy The court will tell each one of these people: “It is true that you
students who rise upon the path and change for the better, so that had intent, but it was weak. Therefore, when you were confronted Free Will
even upon this earth their lives are transformed into a Garden of by a weak obstacle, you abandoned your will. And when you did
Eden. that, the story was over. You didn’t attend the gathering. But Thus, since deed is not in a person’s hands and the essence of
someone else who had many more difficult obstacles or who had free will lies in his intent, we have an answer to the question that
An Ancient and Well-Known Phenomenon absolutely no way of getting to the gathering did not abandon his was previously raised regarding the apparent quandary in choosing
will. His intent stayed strong and true. Therefore, although he faced freely. A person’s entire difficulty in choosing good only involves
I am not the first person to take note of this phenomenon. Our obstacles that were several times greater than yours, his will only action, which is entirely out of his hands. Heaven wants that which
sages preceded me in Pirkei Avot (5:12): grew stronger, and he truly wanted. Therefore, he succeeded and is in a person’s hands, which is his will. From the aspect of will,
made it to the gathering. Even when he saw that things were hard, the ability of every person on every level to choose is entirely free.
There are four types of people who attend the study he continued to want, and he strengthened his resolve even more. Why is that?
hall: a person who goes but does nothing—he receives He did not look for excuses. He did not say, ‘Leave me alone, it is
too hard for me, this isn’t for me.’ He truly wanted, and therefore,
reward for going; a person who does [study] but does he arrived. The simple answer is that the will is the essence of the soul. It
not go to the study hall—he receives reward for doing; is your inner being. You can direct it at any time. It is the only
factor that is always in your hand! Your will is always free. Nothing
a person who goes and does—he is pious; a person who “And even if such a person didn’t actually make it to the can ever stop it. And that is not connected to action—because
neither goes nor does—he is wicked. gathering, the heavenly court writes down that he did, and that even regarding matters that you cannot do, you can still want.
he performed Hashem’s will fully, because he held firm to his will. Therefore, the concept of “free will” exists fully only in a person’s
There are four types among those who sit before the You do not know what you might have succeeded in doing if only intent. The essence of your free will is to want to be in accordance
sages: a sponge, a funnel, a strainer and a sieve. A sponge you would have had such intent. Even if you did not attend the with the Creator’s will. All that the Creator wants from you is to
absorbs everything; a funnel takes in at one end and lets gathering, heaven would have no claims against you, because you exercise your will. Hashem wants you to believe in Him—thus, you
out at the other; a strainer removes the wine and retains fulfilled your obligation, which is your will, and you would receive must want to have faith; Hashem wants you to keep mitzvot—
the sediment; a sieve removes the coarse and retains the complete reward, as though you had actually attended—and even thus, you must want to keep mitzvot; Hashem wants you to refrain
fine flour. more reward than someone who did attend, but with little intent.” from sinning—thus, you must want to refrain from sinning; Hashem
wants you to know the entire Torah—thus, you must want to know
There is a person who goes and studies, and there As was stated earlier, when a person holds fast to his will, not the entire Torah. In accordance with this approach, Hashem wants
is a person who goes but does not study. There is a only does heaven have no claims against him, but it judges him in you to want everything that is His will.
accordance with his will. Therefore, even while he is in this world,