Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
What makes human beings unique?
Judaism teaches that the defining quality of being human is the ability to make moral choices. Animals act according to instinct. Angels follow their nature. But human beings have free choice: the ability to decide between good and evil and to take responsibility for the moral direction of their lives.
This idea is captured in the famous teaching that human beings are created in the image of God. According to many classical Jewish thinkers, this refers to the extraordinary power of moral freedom that defines what it means to be human.
In this short insight, Chief Rabbi Dr Warren Goldstein explores how free choice is the defining trait that separates human beings from the rest of creation.
Part of a short series on free choice, personal agency, and the power to shape our lives.
#FreeChoice #JewishWisdom #TorahWisdom #PirkeiAvot #JewishThought #MeaningOfLife #PersonalResponsibility
What makes human beings unique?
Judaism teaches that the defining quality of being human is the ability to make moral choices. Animals act according to instinct. Angels follow their nature. But human beings have free choice: the ability to decide between good and evil and to take responsibility for the moral direction of their lives.
This idea is captured in the famous teaching that human beings are created in the image of God. According to many classical Jewish thinkers, this refers to the extraordinary power of moral freedom that defines what it means to be human.
In this short insight, Chief Rabbi Dr Warren Goldstein explores how free choice is the defining trait that separates human beings from the rest of creation.
Part of a short series on free choice, personal agency, and the power to shape our lives.
#FreeChoice #JewishWisdom #TorahWisdom #PirkeiAvot #JewishThought #MeaningOfLife #PersonalResponsibility
