Will, Freedom, & Destiny

by Akiva Tatz

Will, Freedom, and Destiny. by Akiva Tatz. Free Will in Judaism. Free will is at the root of the human condition. It defines human uniqueness, it is the source of human greatness and it is an axiom of Torah. Few subjects are as central as this in developing an authentic Jewish outlook, yet its classic questions are among the most How does one’s free will affect others? Does foreknowledge mean that free will is an illusion? How can the will be developed? What are its limits? Free will is synonymous with human essence. This book examines some of the issues that are close to its majestic and mysterious heart.. Will, Freedom, and Destiny presents a comprehensive view of free will in Judaism. The fundamental questions of freedom and foreknowledge, the interaction between one person’s free will and another’s destiny, free will’s boundaries and innate moral knowledge are explored in the light of classic Jewish sources, some presented for the first time in English. The subject is not only philosophical; its practical applications include controlling the will in overcoming ordeals, asserting the will against the attack of fantasy and illusion, consistently translating will into action and perhaps most important, elevating the will in a revolutionary agenda of personal development.. ISBN 978-1-61465-199-4. Author Akiva Tatz. Cover type Hardcover

Genres: Judaism, Jewish

205 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Rabbi Dr. Akiva Tatz was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. He graduated from the University of the Witwatersrand Medical School, graduating with distinction in surgery. He then spent a year in St. Louis, Missouri as an American Field Service Scholar and subsequently returned there for elective work in internal medicine at Washington University. He then served as a medical officer in the South African Defense Forces and served in the Angolan Bush War. After practising in both South Africa and the United States, he moved to Israel, and worked both in private practice as well as in a hospital setting in Jerusalem.

Rabbi Tatz gives lectures to Jewish student groups and organisations across the UK, including an annual medical ethics lecture at University College London hosted by both the Jewish Society and Medical Ethics Society. He is also a regular lecturer on the Jewish Learning Exchange Genesis leadership programme. He has become a recognized expert in matters of Jewish thought and philosophy, which he covers in his authored texts. Zoketsu Norman Fischer, former abbot of the San Francisco Zen Center and founder of and teacher at the Everyday Zen Foundation, describes Tatz's work, Letters to a Buddhist Jew, as "a fascinating book - the most serious contribution in this field to date.

Tatz is both the founder and director of the Jerusalem Medical Ethics Forum, whose purpose is to promote knowledge of Jewish medical ethics internationally, giving lectures worldwide in Jewish thought and medical ethics, as well as on modern applications in medicine. He is also involved with the Jerusalem Center for Research in Medicine and Halacha, often speaking at their annual European events.

He currently resides in London, England.

Reviews

[Milly Cohen · Rating 4 out of 5]

super interesante y complejo

[batya7 · Rating 4 out of 5]

The beginning and end of Rabbi Tatz's book were full of new concepts in almost every line. He explained what free will was, who had it, and what were the constraints if any in the beginning. The ending expanded on how free will manifested in peoples' lives and choices. It was a pleasure to read and study weekly with a partner.

The center gave us more trouble. Here, Rabbi Tatz took us to the Rabbinic Sages, contrasting the differences in many of their explanations about free will and the nuances of each's teachings. I wished I'd had a chart, a scorecard.

The failure to profit from learning about each Sage's teaching, if any, is solely mine. I don't have the background in logic and Talmudic learning that would have eased me through this section. While quite intelligible, it "hurt my head" to grasp some of the ways the Sages' opinions diverged.

Still, this was a valuable volume and aid in understanding fundamental Jewish thought and concepts.

[Joel Barnett · Rating 3 out of 5]

The books started off strong and was approachable. Towards the middle it assumed a lot of knowledge, making it more inaccessible to me. The blurb talks about practical applications, however, I found these to be few and far between. In the end, this left me with more questions than answers.

[Rgusterman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The ability of R.Tatz to explain such deep and complex topics utilising the full breadth of his Torah knowledge in a manner accessible to the layman is nothing short of sublime.

[Esther Kozakevich · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an amazing book but I’m giving it 4.5 because it wasn’t as good as worldmask by the same brilliant author. Any book by him is a Baal teshuva must read

[Mina Herz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must return to - a large chunk in the middle you didn't read, because it was too dense.
Some sublime moments of almost ecstasy as I stumbled upon parts that put into words concepts that I have known intuitively but never been able to verbally express. I hope one day to be able to understand the sheer scope of the ideas within her and their gravity for all our lives, and to embrace the paradoxes of truth

Gave this book away, and I need to buy again