[5.4] Were God to decree that a person be righteous or wicked, or were he born with an innate quality drawing him in a given direction, toward a certain ideal, mind set, or course of action, as foolish astrologers claim, how could He command us to do this and not to do that, to improve our behavior, and not to continue our evil ways? How could He command us to mend our ways and do not follow your evil path, when according to the astrologers misguided view, a person's character is fixed at birth, and his inborn nature relentlessly draws him to a certain goal from which there is no escape. If this were true, of what use would be the entire Torah? How would it be fair to punish the wicked or reward the righteous? Shall our Creator the one who Judges the world, not act justly?" (Genesis 18:25).

Do not ask: How can a person choose between good and evil, if nothing happens in this world without God's permission. For it is written, "Whatever God desires He does, in heaven and earth." (Tehillim 135:6)? In fact, everything does happen by His will, nevertheless, the will of our Creator is to give the human the choice between good and evil. Just as God wants fire and wind to rise upward, water and earth to gravitate downward, the zodiac to move in a circular orbit, and the other creatures to be guided by the God given laws of nature, so too, He desired man to have free choice with the option to do as he wishes. Man, on his own initiative, and God-given intellect, was given the ability to do anything within his capacity. Therefore, man is judged according to his deeds. If he does good, he is rewarded. If he does bad, he is punished. And so it is written, "This has been done to you by your actions." (Malachi 1:9), and "They have chosen their path." (Yesbayahu 66:3). King Solomon had this in mind when he said, "Young man, enjoy yourself when you are young ... but know well that God will call you to account for all such things." (Ecclesiastes 11:9). In other words, know that you have the capacity to do anything you wish, but remember, you will have to answer for all your deeds in the future.

[5:5] You might ask: Since God knows the future, therefore, He knows if a person will be righteous or wicked? If He knows that a person will be righteous, is it then impossible for him to be wicked? If God knows that a person will be righteous, it is still possible for him to exercise his free to do evil¹. This answer is "longer than the earth and broader than the sea." (Job 11:9). It involves a number of crucial principles of faith. However, you must understand the following statements. We have explained previously, in the second chapter of Hilchos Yesodei Hatorab, that God does not know with a knowledge that is outside and apart from Him, as does man whose knowledge is separate from himself. Rather, God and His knowledge are one. We, with our limited intellect cannot fully grasp this concept. Just as it is beyond human comprehension to understand even only a limited understanding of the Creator, as it is written, "A man cannot see Me and remain alive." (Exodus 33:20), so too, God's knowledge is even further beyond human comprehension. And so it is written, "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not My ways." (Yesbayah 55:8). Therefore, we do not understand God's perfect knowledge of the creation². However, we do know without any doubt that man's actions are in his own hands, and God does not induce him to do good or evil. This fact, is not only a matter of faith, we understand this through philosophical proofs. Therefore, the prophets taught that a person is judged according to his deeds. This is a fundamental principle on which all the words of the prophets are predicated.

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