Part III
The first part noted the basic question: As believing
Jews, we know that everything which happens to us is min
haShomayim -- Divine Providence straight from Hashem. At
the same time, we are held accountable for our actions. How
do we accept responsibility for the decisions we make while
forfeiting control over the paths that our lives take?
One important point noted is that in truth everything that
happens in the world advances Hashem's underlying purposes in
the world: to reveal His glory. Even those who intend to
oppose Hashem, the reshoim, ultimately advance
Hashem's goals -- in suffering their punishment, for example.
The second point noted is that Hashem has chosen to mask
His continued operations in the world under the cover of
teva, a natural order that persists and appears to
govern how things work in the world. Those who study nature
but do not relate it to Hashem's underlying
Hashgochoh, will never fully understand what is going
on.
The second part noted that there are two levels of
Hashem's will: an inner rotzon and an outer one.
According to the inner rotzon Hashem always wants us
to choose for the best, but according to the outer one He
wants the world to run along natural lines. Shidduchim
are an area in which all the elements come together.
*
Hashgochoh Protis vs. Bechiroh
Let us consider another dimension of preordained
accomplishment and its interplay with free will. A momentous
incident with the great Netziv sheds light on this issue.
When the Netziv was a young boy, he did not display
excellence in diligent Torah study. At the age of eleven or
so, he overheard a critical conversation between his parents.
They were discussing the proper course for their young son's
future. They seriously considered sending him do to an
apprenticeship so that he would at least become a proper,
observant shoemaker. Full-time Torah learning seemed out of
the question for their son.
When the young Naftoli Hersh heard his parents' words, he was
so shocked that he decided to buckle down immediately. After
years of diligent study, he became one of the leading
gedolei hador.
Later in life, he said that if he had become a shoemaker, he
would have faced an unexpected encounter at the end of his
life. When he would arrive in Shomayim, they would
show him a picture of a venerable sage and ask him if he
recognizes him? He would respond in the negative.
Then they would show him the sefer Ha'ameik Sheiloh,
the masterwork on the She'iltos that he wrote. He
would look at it in amazement and comment that he could not
even follow the intricate discussions in the sefer.
Then they would show him the other seforim he had
written, which would be just as unrecognizable to him.
Finally, they would open up to the title page, point to his
name, and say, "This is what you were supposed to accomplish
in your life. This sage was meant to be you, and these
seforim were intended to be yours."
Indeed the Netziv was forever grateful to his parents for
their discussion, which led to his turnaround.
At a young age, the Netziv faced a choice. Upon hearing his
parents' conversation, he could have either continued on the
path he had taken up until then, or have taken stock and
changed. Hashem arranged that he would hear that dialogue,
but it was up to him to choose to do the right thing. True,
he was meant to become a legendary talmid chochom and
author, but he could have ruined it.
What is Hashgochoh Protis?
What exactly is Divine Providence? How do we know if and when
we are experiencing it? How do we qualify for it? And how do
we respond it to it?
Rule number one is that Hashem is generally interested in
everything every Jewish person does, and he brings about
circumstances to help them achieve their best. Usually,
Hashem operates behind the scenes in order to allow us the
possibility of free choice, as we explained above. However,
there is an exception to this norm, namely, when we bring
Hashem to the foreground. In other words, when we focus on
Hashem's involvement in our lives, we then qualify for His
Hashgochoh protis.
Sefer Tehillim tells us, "Hashem tzilcho al yad
yeminecho." Hashem is your shadow on your right. Of
course, Hashem is not a shadow. The posuk is telling
us that Hashem relates to us as a shadow relates to the one
who casts it, and thus responds to us in accordance with our
relationship with Him.
So, Hashgochoh protis means that Hashem responds to us
in direct proportion to our degree of focus on Him. Hashem
cares about everyone, but how much He reveals His involvement
in our lives depends on us.
If we have a general feeling for Hashem, then we will have a
general relationship with Him. But if we look to bring Hashem
into our lives, His relationship with us will become much
more personal.
Another factor in Hashgochoh protis is the degree of
kvod Shomayim it will produce. Often Hashem will
utilize natural circumstances to assist His devout in their
pursuit of kvod Shomayim. For example, if a rav is
giving a shiur, he will usually need to research
various sources. If the rav is generally careful to utilize
his precious time for Hashem's sake, then Hashem will help
him find the appropriate seforim and the right pages
in them with almost no effort. But if the rav uses his time
less carefully, he may not find the page he needs or even the
right sefer.
Hashem tells us in parshas Bechukosai, "If you go with
Me by chance, I will go with you by chance." If we view our
life's occurrences as happenstance, Hashem will reflect our
attitude. But if we truly factor Hashem into our whole life,
He will be there and we will sense this.
A prerequisite for earning Hashgochoh protis is our
worthiness. If our conduct is not up to par, we do not
deserve a close relationship with Hashem. Another factor is
our attitude, our willingness to have a positive view of
life. However, we should always keep in mind that even if we
do not sense Hashem's closeness, He is still there. We simply
have not yet earned the right to feel His involvement.
The Ramban tells us that people who live outside of Eretz
Yisroel generally do not sense Hashem's personal involvement,
because Hashem conducts His affairs there through very
complex channels. But in Eretz Yisroel, there are absolutely
no channels. Those who open their eyes will be privileged to
sense their direct relationship with Him all the time.
The Hashgochoh Protis of Bechiroh
As we know, Hashem tests all people, from the simple to the
sage. Rav Dessler zt'l explains that each of us has a
unique point of free choice, nekudas bechiroh. What we
have already tackled is no longer a challenge, while other
areas are beyond our capabilities. In His great wisdom,
Hashem knows the exact point to test us, wherein we are truly
challenged and can succeed. This spot constantly fluctuates
depending on previous choices we made.
Chazal also state, "Ein Hakodosh Boruch Hu bo beterunia im
habrios." Hashem does not come at us in a whirlwind. In
other words, Hashem only gives us challenges we can
undertake.
Every day, we face choices custom-made for our unique
spiritual status. With this in mind, we realize that Hashem
is with us every day of our lives. Hakodosh Boruch Hu
has granted us the privilege of life so that we can achieve
our utmost, and He sets up circumstances accordingly. It is
up to us to take note of the Hashgochoh protis of our
life choices and to choose properly.
In essence, Hashgochoh protis is happening to us all
of the time. Our level of commitment and interest in seeing
Hashem's involvement will determine how aware we are of
it.
The Hashgochoh of Onesh and Nisoyon
When a person sins, he deserves to be punished. The pain of
Gehennom, the ultimate punishment, is so great that
the Ramban tells us that one moment of Gehennom is worse than
whatever Iyov experienced. To our great fortune, Hashem has
ways of eliminating that experience. When we merit it, Hashem
will exchange our punishment for a relatively minor
discomfort in this world. This is called kapporoh.
Incidentally, this exchange is better than any rate on
the black market.
Hashem generally relates to us in the form of middoh
keneged middoh. So, if we sincerely review our actions we
should find the connection. However, if we see difficulties
coming our way and do not find a direct correlation with any
particular misdeed, then we can chalk it up as a general
kapporoh. And if we accept something this way, it will
in fact serve as such, irrespective of what its real intent
was.
Sometimes we may find ourselves facing a challenge that seems
almost unbearable. This is called a nisoyon and is a
greater level than the average test of bechiroh. At
certain times Hashem calls on us to stretch beyond what we
believe are our capabilities. Nisyonos expose our
personal capacity and, in fact, expand it. They reveal to us
how much we can accomplish.
This is not regarded as a terunia, a whirlwind,
because Hashem knows that we can succeed. If we find
ourselves unexpectedly experiencing something too difficult
to believe that we could accomplish, then we should realize
that Hashem is talking to us. He is giving us a golden
opportunity to focus on His involvement in our lives and to
increase His relationship with us. With this focus, Hashem
will reveal Himself even more in our lives.
Practical Applications
Now that we have extrapolated on these lofty ideas, how can
we apply them to our everyday lives? Let us take some
examples of common incidents and consider how to view
them.
What about that open gas valve that did not cause any harm,
although the window was painted shut? What is our response?
Generally, if there was no major result of this mishap, then
we should simply thank Hashem that gas has an aroma. What we
should not do is blame our spouse for a poor paint job.
Let's take another common occurrence in a family setting.
Rifkala, age seven, ran into the dining room and crashed into
the beautifully set table. An expensive china plate fell to
the floor and smashed into a hundred pieces. What should we
do: shout at Rifkala for her clumsiness and break her self-
esteem? Of course not. The appropriate reaction is to
reassure Rifkala that it is not important. It is only glass.
We can ask Rifkala to help clean it up, and we may ask her to
be more careful next time.
Now that we have dealt with Rifkala, we may delve into the
Hashgochoh protis of the situation. Well, I actually
controlled myself and did not show anyone furious feelings.
In addition, Rifkala learned that her feelings are more
important than a piece of china. These are certainly
beneficial results.
Should I look for more? It depends. If the plate was near the
edge of the table, the story is over. But if the plate
unexpectedly rolled across the table, I may continue my
lesson. Why does Hashem want me to be missing one piece of
china? Maybe this presents me with an opportunity to feel a
lack in my life, which I can then relate to a feeling of
yearning for the Beis Hamikdosh.
The incident happened because of a child's clumsiness, but
how does this affect me? It is a chance to learn something.
Rather than being a source of pain, the dish is a vehicle to
challenge me and to grow from its lesson.
Unless the loss of a possession was very large, we should not
blame ourselves. We can simply say it was bashert and
consider what lessons we may gain. If there has been a
significant financial loss, we may take into account the
possibility that our finances may not be in order.
The idea of bashert is complex, the subject of much
contemplation by great sages. We know that Hashem is
intimately involved in our lives and directs them in ways
that aid our personal growth. At the same time, He allows us
to make choices.
Ultimately, Hashem wants us to choose the shortest path that
is both good for us and reveals Hashem's glory. Should we
choose poorly, Hashem directs all variables to reveal His
glory anyway. We hope to have the wisdom to make the right
choices at every fork in the road of our lives.
Click here for Part I.
Click here for Part II.
