Determinism and Freedom in Judaism

The principal story of Parashat Toldot centers on the birth of Isaac’s two sons, Jacob and Esau. Their birth serves to convey G-d’s fidelity to the promises he made to Abraham to provide him future descendants to inherit the land of Canaan. Yet the lives and decisions of both Jacob and Esau also cause to consider the age-old question of free will and predestination- that is whether man possesses the ability to initiate and determine his own future and destiny through his own choices.