Free Will and Divine Knowledge: How Judaism Resolves the Paradox

"Hello Rabbi,

My daughter asked me a few questions: If God already knows what I am going to do, how does that work with the idea that I have free will? Similarly, if God knew that Abraham would pass the test of the Binding of Isaac, why did He test him?

Also, Abraham told the young men, ‘Stay here with the donkey, while I and the boy will go on, bow down, and then return to you.’ But Abraham knew he was going to sacrifice his son. So why did he say, ‘we will return,’ instead of ‘I will return’?"

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Thank you for your thoughtful questions.

You can explain to your daughter that God is not like a human being who exists in one place or at one moment in time. Nor is He like a “fortune teller” who predicts the future and then waits to see if it comes true. God is present everywhere and at every moment — past, present, and future.

God knows what we will do in the future because He is already there. He sees our actions happening in what, for us, is still “the future”. If we change our choices at the last moment, He also sees that change, because He sees all of time at once.

So, God’s knowledge does not cause our choices. Rather, He allows us complete freedom to choose, while He simultaneously “witnesses” all of time. This is what the sages meant when they said: “Everything is foreseen, yet free will is given.” God sees what we will choose, but the choice itself is ours.

In answer to your second question, God tested Abraham in order to bring his faith from potential into action. Imagine a brilliant artist who has great talent. As long as he hasn’t created his masterpiece, no one can see or honor his ability. Only by expressing it in reality does his greatness become known and admired.

In the same way, Abraham needed to express his extraordinary faith outwardly, to reveal it to the world, and to teach through his actions a model of faith for all future generations. By doing so, he not only educated and inspired us, but he also increased his own reward, both in this world and in the World to Come. A righteous person receives reward not just for what they could have done, but for what they actually do.

Regarding Abraham’s words, “We will return to you”, Rashi explains that Abraham was, in fact, speaking prophetically. He foretold that both he and Isaac would return. As a prophet, every word Abraham spoke was true prophecy, even if he himself was not fully aware of it at the time.