One day, a large group gathered on the Brooklyn Bridge (New York), a large bridge that crosses the Hudson River and connects Brooklyn to Manhattan.

What happened?

A man had been swept away by the river's current and was in danger of drowning. His faint cries for help were heard by passers-by on the bridge, but unfortunately, they could not do much to help him. How could they save a person several dozen meters below them?

While the crowd observed the terrible scene of a man struggling in turbulent waters, a man present undertook a courageous act: he jumped from the high bridge to the cold water.

Before the astonished eyes of the spectators, the courageous rescuer reached the drowning man. He pulled him out of the water, brought him towards the bank of the river, resuscitated him and stayed close to him until the ambulance arrived to take him to the emergency room.

Does this rescuer deserve a medal?

Of course. He just saved a man from a certain death.

Indeed, when the rescuer arrived at the top of the bridge, exhausted by his efforts, everyone present formed a circle around him, tapped him on the shoulder, and complimented him on his courageous act. To their surprise, not only did the man not seem satisfied with all the compliments that he was getting, but his face, on the contrary, expressed great anger.

"What's the matter? the people asked.

The man replied, "I'm looking for the fool who pushed me into the water..."

Do you realize what happened in this story? Until we read the last line, we are convinced that it was a courageous and heroic act like no other and that the protagonist deserved a medal. However, it turns out that this act was not the result of a choice. The man was simply pushed into the water and acted against his will. It is true that in the end, the concrete result is the same, the life of a man was saved, and it is a great thing, but the fact that the act was not done from free will diminishes his merit and the medal we want to confer on him.

This small example illustrates the centrality of free will in man’s spiritual world. If we live like a robot, by behaving in "automatic mode" according to the stimulations of the environment, our actions are meaningless. If you do not have free will, you also have no responsibility - neither good nor bad.

It is not easy for a man to reach a situation of true free will. The majority of our actions are inspired by all kinds of considerations of interest and satisfaction. The study of the Torah purifies our mind, increases our strength, and exposes a man to a scale of absolute values ​​(good and evil), and thus helps him to express the most powerful force hidden in him - the power of free will.