Free will and the 613 mitzvot

Deuteronomy 30:19 expresses this through a choice: ‘I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse: therefore choose life.’ The instruction to choose suggests that human actions are not all predetermined. It also shows that the available choices are not morally equal: God urges people towards the right path.

The account of Adam and Eve in Genesis provides an example. They choose to disobey God, and their disobedience has consequences. Having free will therefore does not mean being free from responsibility.

Why God gives the 613 mitzvot

A mitzvah is a commandment; mitzvot is the plural. The Torah contains 613 mitzvot, traditionally understood by Jews to have been given by God to Moses as part of the covenant at Mount Sinai. They provide the basis of Halakhah, Jewish religious law.

The mitzvot guide people in using their free will well. They make Judaism a way of life as well as a set of beliefs, shaping decisions about food, business, Shabbat, festivals and the treatment of others. Following them expresses obedience to God and puts the covenant into practice.

There is no contradiction between having commandments and having free will. A commandment tells someone what they ought to do; it does not make them do it automatically. For example, a person conducting business can choose to act honestly or dishonestly. Jewish law supplies guidance, while the person remains responsible for the decision. Choosing obedience can bring a person closer to God.

Choosing between good and harmful inclinations

Jewish teaching describes yetzer ha-tov, the inclination towards good, and yetzer ha-ra, the inclination towards wrongdoing. These describe competing tendencies within a person, rather than removing their ability to choose.

Someone may feel tempted to put personal gain before another person’s wellbeing, yet still choose kindness and fairness. The mitzvot help guide that choice. Exercising the good inclination means actively choosing behaviour that pleases God, rather than treating temptation as an excuse for wrongdoing.

Judaism does not teach that humans inherit guilt for Adam and Eve’s disobedience. Individuals are accountable for their own choices. If they break God’s law, they can seek God’s forgiveness rather than assume that their wrongdoing is unavoidable.

Obligation and different reasons for obedience

Orthodox Jews regard the mitzvot as binding because they understand the Torah as God’s word and believe that God’s laws should be obeyed. Free will makes obedience a personal responsibility, not an optional preference. However, this does not mean every individual can perform all 613 commandments: some concern the Temple, which no longer exists.

Jews may place different emphasis on why they should use free will well. Some stress that God judges human actions and may reward or punish them. Others emphasise doing good because it is right, rather than to gain a reward. Ethics of the Fathers 1:3 teaches: ‘Be not like servants who serve their master for the sake of receiving a reward.’

Both approaches can encourage observance and ethical behaviour. Whether motivated by accountability to God or by the goodness of the action itself, the central connection remains: the mitzvot guide choices, and free will allows people to take responsibility for following that guidance.