443. Torah Broker Podcast Guest - Money

one of the fundamental principles is in Tractate Nida, page 16b.

The Gemara says that, oh, we have a Shasher, I can...

Feel free, Rabbi, yeah, fire away.

We'll see if we need it.

Yeah.

The Gemara says in Tractate Nida, page 16b, the Gemara says that there is an angel that's appointed on conception.

And before every single person is born, the angel comes to Hashem, comes to God, and brings the trap from which the person will be conceived.

And he says that he makes a declaration.

He says, this person will be

rich or poor.

He'll be strong or he'll be weak.

He'll be

smart or he won't be smart.

He'll be not so smart.

However, the Gemara says the angel does not say that the person will be evil or they will be good.

Because, as Rabbi Hanina said, everything is in the hands of heaven, except for the fear of heaven, except for free choice.

So therefore, the angel can't declare in advance that a person will be righteous or a person will not be righteous, because that's up to the person themselves.

It's up to them to choose whether they're going to be righteous or not.

However, the other three distinctions, the angel does declare that it is decided in advance.

So for example, let's give an example.

One of the examples that the Gemara says is that if a person says that they have, whether they're smart or they're not so smart.

We know that people maybe can improve their IQ, but not so much.

Whatever level IQ a person has, that's the IQ they have.

Everybody takes a test and the IQ level that they have is the IQ level that they were born with.

And that is because that has been predetermined.