Perhaps an apocryphal tale is promulgated involving my father-in-law’s insightful teacher Rabbi Noach Weinberg.
Once a man approached the Rabbi; ‘I don’t need to be observant because God loves me.’ ‘How do you know that God loves you?’ asked the Rabbi. ‘I was riding my bike up in the mountains. The speed was too high and I couldn’t navigate a turn. I went flying off the cliff. I thought my life was over. A miracle happened and I landed on a ledge just below the cliff. So you see God saved me because He loves me.’ The Rabbi looked into the eyes of the young man and asked, ‘tell me my son and who threw you off the cliff?’
It is the cornerstone of Jewish belief that there is no such thing as an accident. This idea was echoed by my teacher, Rabbi Weinberg’s brother, Rabbi Shmuel Yakov about fifteen years ago while I was studying in the Ner Israel Rabbinical College.
A man walked into the study hall carrying a paper bag asking to speak to a Rabbi. The first Rabbi that he found was Rabbi Yissachar Frand. As he approached he suddenly drew a knife from the bag and lunged at Rabbi Frand. He was tackled from behind by some students and his attempt failed. Later that afternoon my teacher who was the head of the Yeshiva addressed the students professing to explain why this happened. He began his talk by saying that it is the foundation of Jewish belief that there is no such thing as ‘it just happened’.
This idea is expressed by the Ramban (Exodus 13:16). ‘Through the great open miracles, one comes to admit the hidden miracles which constitute the foundation of the whole Torah, for no one can have a part in the Torah of Moses our teacher unless he believes that all our words and our events are miracles in scope, there being no natural or customary way of the world in them, whether affecting the public or individual.’
This global view is prevalent in the Talmud as well. ‘Rabbi Chanina said, a person doesn’t stub his finger below unless it was decreed above.’ (Chulin 7b)
In this week’s Parsha this concept extends into avenues of reality that at first thought we might not be cognizant off.
The verse states, ‘The Rock, perfect is His work, for all His paths are justice; a God of faith without iniquity, righteous and fair is He.’(Deuteronomy 32:4)
Asks Rabbi Yisrael Salanter (Meshulchan Gavoah, ad locum) why does the Torah state that God is ‘without inequity’? What kind of praise is that? It would not behoove to even extol an average person in such a manner?
He explains that when the Almighty decrees a certain situation for any person He accounts for all the repercussions that will ripple from it. For example, if it is decreed that a certain individual will win the lottery numerous queries surface. Because he will win the lottery certain people such as his wife, children and friends will benefit from the windfall. Do they deserve this benefit? He will probably leave his job. Do his coworkers or company deserve that loss? He will probably buy things that he otherwise would not have bought. Do the vendors deserve to have a customer like that as well as sell the merchandise? There are a myriad of issues that have to be accounted for as the Ramchal (The Way of God, 2:2) explains, that only God can process.
This is the meaning of the aforementioned verse that God is ‘without iniquity.’ Every detail in every situation is decreed in advance and is as it should be.
