Once quite common in Jewish culture—from late antiquity through the medieval period—astrology has largely faded from mainstream Jewish life, even though its traces still appear in texts, calendars, and Jewish art. This lecture explores the evolving relationship between Judaism and astrology, asking why it once flourished and why many communities later distanced themselves from it. Along the way we’ll tackle the big theological questions astrology raises: Does a universe governed by the stars leave room for free will? Is consulting the heavens a kind of idolatry or forbidden divination—or can it be understood as a form of wisdom about God’s created order? Did any Jewish thinkers treat astrology as a kind of prophetic insight, or as a competing claim to revelation? And if fate can be “read,” what happens to reward and punishment, responsibility, and moral choice? Drawing on examples from the Bible, Talmud, and Midrash (and later Jewish interpretation), we’ll map how Jewish voices debated astrology—sometimes embracing it, sometimes warning against it, and often using it to clarify what Judaism ultimately insists upon: human accountability and a relationship with God that transcends the stars.