Why the World Can't Stop Talking About the Jews
5 min read
Recently, a new acquaintance told me her surprising story. Susan decided to enter a raffle. “Why not? The money goes to a good cause,” she thought. First prize was a trip to Israel. Susan was certain that she wouldn’t win, so she forgot about it. Of course, she won the trip, but the story doesn’t end there.
While seated on the plane, awaiting takeoff, the passenger beside her asked if she would switch seats with her. Susan said, “Of course,” but immediately wondered to herself, “Why did I just give up my aisle seat to sit in the middle?” Susan did not yet know that this quick decision would bring about a positive change in her life. She didn’t realize that she was then sitting between her future husband and future sister-in-law.
How do some occurrences seem to connect? To what extent do Divine providence, free choice, and cause-and-effect intersect? Or do they?
The unusual wording of a verse in this week’s Torah portion sheds light on this fascinating topic. “When you build a new house, you must make a maakeh, guardrail, for your roof, so that the one who is falling will not come to fall from it [emphasis added.]”
What does “the one who is falling” mean? Is the Torah warning us of a future event? The Talmud explains that “the person who will fall was predestined to fall since the six days of Creation.” That’s why the verse refers to him as “the one who is falling.” What roles do providence and free will play in this scenario? Freedom of choice and causality are two systems by which the world operates. The connection between them is explained in the Talmud. “Reward is brought about through those with merit, and punishment through the guilty.”
In other words, an individual’s act of free will can bring about a pre- ordained result or goal. In this situation, it is the free will of the homeowner who is negligent in erecting a guardrail that will lead to the punishment of the person who was predestined to fall.
The Shelah Hakadosh explains that God knows all that could occur, what actually will occur, and what might have occurred. Every potential outcome is foreseen. Certain occurrences take place because they are simply part of the overall Divine plan. Other times, free will can change an outcome. There are different versions of what the future may be.
Consider this example. Joe lands a dream job. He’s got it all planned out. Tomorrow he’ll give his current boss the required two weeks’ notice, and then he’ll take two weeks off before the mandatory start date for the new job. But that night Joe ends up in the ER with a painful kidney stone. The x-ray shows a mass and further testing reveals that he has stage one kidney cancer. That’s the bad news. The good news is that, because it was discovered early, it can be removed safely and Joe won’t need any further treatment. That painful kidney stone actually saved him. However, due to the six-week recovery period, he’ll lose out on the new job. But, on the day Joe was scheduled to have started that new job, his “former” boss calls and offers Joe a promotion at an even higher salary. Thank God!
Although we possess complete freedom of choice and action, this doesn’t negate other underlying factors. Here’s an example. Someone may establish a high-tech start-up in an underdeveloped country and be unsuccessful. Although the necessary natural resources were plentiful and inexpensive, the lack of skilled labor and political corruption over-rode that. Now, extend this idea to someone embarking on a spiritual self-improvement program in a depraved environment. What are the prospects for success? Preexisting conditions can preclude successful outcomes, yet, despite the odds, sometimes great things do happen. Look at your own life or those of others. You’ll find experiences that were unlikely to turn out well yet did. Perhaps these were part of a broader, far-reaching Divine plan.
Freedom of choice and causality work in tandem with Divine providence to bring God’s plans to fruition. They are tools with which the universe operates and is governed. A goal can be achieved in different ways. God’s desired ends can be brought about through any of a variety of means. If a goal is not attained by one means, it will come about by another, but these distinctions may not be obvious to us.
The Talmud’s statement that “reward is brought about through those with merit and punishment through the guilty” might help us understand this. A person’s act of free will can be the means to trigger a particular, preordained occurrence or goal. It may result in either a reward or a punishment. The free will of the homeowner who neglected to erect a guardrail ultimately brought about the punishment of the person who was predestined to fall. Rashi succinctly concludes that if someone falls off a roof, it’s because he or she was a “fallen one,” deserving to fall. It is your duty and choice, however, to make sure that it’s not off your roof.
The Torah neither tells people to forego building houses nor to avoid going to the roof. The commandment is simply to build a guardrail. The performance of a straightforward, common-sense mitzvah can prevent potential harm. Therefore, imagine the potential good that can result from going beyond one’s comfort zone to help another. Just ask my friend Susan!
