The Mitzvot & Free Will (AQA GCSE Religious Studies A (8062))

Pikuach Nefesh - Saving a Life

Saving a Life (Pikuach Nefesh)

• Pikuach nefesh is an obligation for all Jews and it is expected that all Jews will do everything to protect their own life and that of others

• The belief in the importance of protecting life is made clear in the Sanhedrin

• Jews believe this because as God is the Creator of all life, only he should say when life begins or ends, and so Jews believe they should do all they can to preserve life

• All human life is considered precious because Jews believe that God was made in the image of man

• There are many passages in the Tanakh that demonstrate this, for example:

Free Will, The Mitzvot and Halakhah

The Halakhah

• Judaism is not just a belief system, it is also a way of life, filled with rules and practices that affect every aspect of life

• Guidance is available for Jews in all elements of their lives. The faith outlines what or how Jewish people:

  • Do when they wake up in the morning

  • Can and cannot eat

  • Can and cannot wear

  • Conduct business

  • Observe festivals and Shabbat

  • Treat God, and other living creatures

• This set of rules and practices is known as halakhah

• The word Halakhah is usually translated as "Jewish Law", although a more literal translation might be "the path that one walks"

• The Halakhah constitutes the practical application of the 613 mitzvot (commandments) in the Torah

Mitzvot and Free Will

• Jews believe that although there are laws and practical guidance on how to follow the laws, all humans have free will and can make choices

• The mitzvot are seen as points of guidance to help Jewish people use their free will correctly

• The Genesis account of Adam and Eve shows how God gave free will but also that there are negative consequences if that free will is used to go against God

• After setting out the terms of the covenant with Israel, God said: 

• This shows that the people with whom God made the covenant were free to accept or reject it

• Most Jews believe that when God created them, he gave them free will, and so people are able to make their own decisions and decide right from wrong

• The Torah teaches that God has given Jewish people a choice as to whether they keep the 613 mitzvot or not

• As human beings, they are made in the "image and likeness of God" (Genesis 1:26) and it is believed that they have the mind and the soul to help with that choice

• Therefore, Jews believe that it is an individual’s responsibility to follow the mitzvot

  • The mitzvot are seen as points of guidance to help Jewish people use their free will correctly

  • This freedom to choose is an expression of the Jewish belief in free will

  • Jews believe that disobeying the mitzvot will result in punishment by God

  • The Jewish belief in free will is closely linked with the concept of reward and punishment, based on the Torah itself:

The Inclination to do Good or Evil

• Judaism does not teach that people are born sinful but that each individual has been born with two ways of behaving:

  • Yetzer Ha Tov or the inclination to do good acts

  • Yetzer Ha Ra or the inclination to do evil acts

• In Judaism, it is believed that people are born with Yetzer Ha Tov and Yetzer Ha Ra as a balance and one can do more of either and so affect the balance in one’s life 

• There is no belief in evil beings influencing human behaviour, it is rather the imbalance in favour of exercising the Yetzer Ha Ra that leads to evil in a person’s life

• If Jews exercise the Yetzer Ha Tov and not the Yetzer Ha Ra then they will please God and will be judged accordingly

• The existence of free will rather than predetermination means that everyone has the opportunity to make choices in their lives and all choices have consequences