Are we here?

Answer

Dear Yael,

That is a fantastic question. You must have a very deep mind, because this is the question that all the great minds ask. I will try to give you an answer.

Do you know the song, "Hashem is here, Hashem is there, Hashem is truly everywhere"? If Hashem is truly everywhere, then I have a problem - where are you? And where am I? How can you be there if Hashem is also there? If someone is sitting in a chair, I can't also sit there! If a room is full of people, I can't fill it with more people! So if the world is full of Hashem (because He is everywhere) where are we?!

The answer: Hashem can do anything. He can be everywhere and let us be here too. So really He is everywhere - even the place that I'm in. But He makes it seem to me like He isn't there so I can exist.

The exact same thing applies to my choices. How can I choose if Hashem already decided? If Hashem knows what I will choose, then there's no room for my choice?

The answer: Hashem can do anything. He can know what I will do and let me decide too. He can know but make it seem to me like He doesn't know, so i ma free to choose.

So why are we rewarded or punished if Hashem knew anyway what we would do? Because we don't feel that Hashem knew. We feel that we chose freely. And we are right. Just like we exist freely, because Hashem hides Himself from us, so we choose freely because Hashem keeps his knowledge to Himself.

If we would feel that Hashem knows what we will choose, we wouldn't be able to choose anymore. And if we could feel that Hashem is here, we wouldn't feel that we were separate from Him. That's what will happen when Moshiach (the Messiah) comes - we will realise that we are really part of Hashem. And we won't have free choice anymore. That's why we have to do a lot of good now - while we still have the choice!

Think about it, and we can talk about it more if you want.

All the best, and keep sending questions,