Life and Luck
In this week’s parsha, Vayetzei, Jacob “happens” on a place (literally referred to in Hebrew as HaMakom, The Place) where he has an incredible spiritual dream. But let’s focus on the ‘happen’ part. The Torah is sending us a message, under the surface.
How many things in our lives just ‘happen’ the way they’re supposed to? What do we attribute to luck, coincidence, or synchronicity that might function as hints from the Divine? What if we began to journal about or track the times in our life when events just ‘happened to work out’? Although I know I’ve felt that at various times, I haven’t done what I’m suggesting. But I will, because I believe I’ll gain insight into patterns in my life that would only be discernable in hindsight.
According to mystical Jewish tradition, everything in our lives, from the talents we have to where we live, are not the result of ‘happenstance’. This includes the family we’re born into, to those in our created family, to people who are in or have been in our lives. All is with a purpose.
Of course, we also have free will. Choices to make—-guidance to follow or not. Befriending this one and not that one. Paths to take or not. Cultivation of certain skills and not others. There are endless choices.
Generally, the line of thinking is that what is outside of our free will is not an accident.
So, what if we went about our daily lives holding this thought?