Whenever a Tragedy occurs, public and private people often ask what does God want from us/me?
The Torah in Parshas Berashis Chapter 2:15 Hashem said:
וַיִּקַּ֛ח יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהִ֖ים אֶת־הָֽאָדָ֑ם וַיַּנִּחֵ֣הוּ בְגַן־עֵ֔דֶן לְעׇבְדָ֖הּ וּלְשׇׁמְרָֽה
The LORD God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden, to work it and to guard it.
Adam was placed in Gan Eden, and he was told that he must protect and work the land so that everything can continue growing. This was before his sin of eating from the fruit of the tree of knowledge.
Hashem created trees with fruits and vegetation, but He did not create them in a way that these can continue growing on their own. Hashem commanded Adam to work the land.
Hashem did not create man in a way that Adam can sit and learn Torah all day while Hashem provides for his needs. On the contrary, the Torah says Hashem placed Adam in Gan Eden. The world was perfect according to His will with everything man needed so he can work on the land and guard the land.
After the sin, the snakes’ punishment was that it always has food for free with no work at all and the food is close to it all the time, basically the soil. Getting money or food without working for it, the Torah says, is a curse not a blessing. Hashem created man so he can work the land to have good and healthy food. This is what the Torah calls a blessing.
In Devorim Chapter 10:12-13 it states:
וְעַתָּה֙ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל מָ֚ה יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ שֹׁאֵ֖ל מֵעִמָּ֑ךְ כִּ֣י אִם־לְ֠יִרְאָ֠ה אֶת־יְהֹוָ֨ה אֱלֹהֶ֜יךָ לָלֶ֤כֶת בְּכׇל־דְּרָכָיו֙ וּלְאַהֲבָ֣ה אֹת֔וֹ וְלַֽעֲבֹד֙ אֶת־יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ בְּכׇל־לְבָבְךָ֖ וּבְכׇל־נַפְשֶֽׁךָ׃
And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God demand of you? Only this: to revere the LORD your God, to walk only in His paths, to love Him, and to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and soul.
לִשְׁמֹ֞ר אֶת־מִצְוֺ֤ת יְהֹוָה֙ וְאֶת־חֻקֹּתָ֔יו אֲשֶׁ֛ר אָנֹכִ֥י מְצַוְּךָ֖ הַיּ֑וֹם לְט֖וֹב לָֽךְ׃
keeping the LORD’s commandments and laws, which I command upon you today, for your good.
As it states in the Torah in Parshas Netzavim chapter 30:19
הַֽעִדֹ֨תִי בָכֶ֣ם הַיּוֹם֘ אֶת־הַשָּׁמַ֣יִם וְאֶת־הָאָ֒רֶץ֒ הַֽחַיִּ֤ים וְהַמָּ֨וֶת֙ נָתַ֣תִּי לְפָנֶ֔יךָ הַבְּרָכָ֖ה וְהַקְּלָלָ֑ה וּבָֽחַרְתָּ֙ בַּֽחַיִּ֔ים לְמַ֥עַן תִּֽחְיֶ֖ה אַתָּ֥ה וְזַרְעֶֽךָ:
This day, I call upon the heaven and the earth as witnesses [that I have warned] you: I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. You shall choose life, so that you and your offspring will live;
Ibachartu bechaim and you shall CHOOSE life in order that you will live, you and for your future generations, thus leaving an amazing and great impact in the world by following Hashem’s commandments.
In Braches chapter 33: 2 the Reb Chanina asks in the name of Rebbe Shimon ben Yochai on the words מָ֚ה יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ שֹׁאֵ֖ל מֵעִמָּ֑ךְ what does Hashem ask of you? How can Hashem ask anything of us, after all doesn’t he have everything? How can Hashem want anything from us?
The answer he says is כִּ֣י אִם־לְ֠יִרְאָ֠ה Hashem wants you to CHOOSE to fear and revere Him. Furthermore, Hashem asks us to CHOOSE good לְט֖וֹב לָֽךְ׃ for your own good.
It says in Devorim Chapter 8:18:
וְזָכַרְתָּ אֶת יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ כִּי הוּא הַנֹּתֵן לְךָ כֹּחַ לַעֲשׂוֹת חָיִל לְמַעַן הָקִים אֶת בְּרִיתוֹ אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּע לַאֲבֹתֶיךָ כַּיּוֹם הַזֶּה
Remember that it is the LORD your God who gives you the power to get wealth, in fulfillment of the covenant that He made on oath with your fathers, as is still the case.
Hashem, gave us the כֹּחַ לַעֲשׂוֹת חָיִל the energy to make a lot of money. He does not send the money to you, you need to do the work to attain it.
If everything is Bashert and comes directly from Hashem, how can we choose anything? Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai explains: הַכֹּל בִּידֵי שָׁמַיִם חוּץ מִיִּרְאַת שָׁמַיִם Everything is in the hands of Hashem except the fear of Hashem.
After Adam was created, if an angel asked Hashem, “will Adam eat from the forbidden tree of knowledge?” Hashem would have replied: “I don’t know. I warned him not to eat from that tree, but it is Adam’s choice to decide if he wants to follow me and my commandment or not!”
Furthermore: if Adam listens and follows My command then his life and the lives of his offsprings will be great, however, if Adam CHOOSES to eat from the forbidden tree he will be sent out of this perfect world which is referred to as Gan Eden, and he will be punished.
Isn’t everything Bashert, destiny or divine providence? If so, how can Adam be punished or held accountable for his actions?
Was it Bashert for Adam to sin and eat from the one and only tree Hashem did not give to him? Of course not!
Hashem created the world with choice so that WE DECIDE if we want to follow Hashem or not. If we choose to follow His commands, Hashem promises that He will give us great reward in THIS world. Otherwise, he will be punished and suffer in THIS world.
Hashem gave us the כֹּחַ לַעֲשׂוֹת חָיִל the energy to make a lot of money. He does not send the money to you, you need to do the work to attain it.
It is our actions that lead us on the path and to the outcomes of the lives you are living now. If you don’t like the path, Hashem gave you the choice to take action to change the course and path of your life.
The Medrash Rabba writes: בַּדֶּרֶךְ שֶׁאָדָם רוֹצֶה לֵילֵךְ בָּהּ מוֹלִיכִים אוֹתוֹ the path a person wants to take Hashem leads him there even though this was not Hashem’s plan. It may not be Hashem choice for you, but if it is what you choose for yourself, He will help us achieve it ברוחניות וגשמיות in your spiritual and material goals.
People seem to be using “Bashert” as a way to be lazy and/or get away from their responsibility to choose to follow the Torah way.
One of the 613 commandments is that a Jew must live in Israel. Many people claim “Hashem planted me here” I was born in exile, and It’s hard to move. Or “Hashem put me here, and I am in the exact place Hashem wants me to be.” This is so far from the true Torah way.
Did Hashem really put you there, or was it the actions and decisions of your grandparents or parents who moved to your country instead of settling in Israel after the Hitler war?
So no, it was not Hashem’s choice, it was your family’s choice that led you to where you are, and their actions have life-long consequences for all their generations.
On the other hand, YOU can choose to follow Hashem’s commandment and change the cores of your life for yourself and your future generations.
You can move to Israel and change the destiny for your family so you and your offspring can also fulfil the commandment to live in Hashem’s land.
Before Adam’s sin, Hashem already put him in charge of cultivating the land. The world was created for us to work, not to sit around and wait for Hashem to send money through your window.
The amount of money you should earn for the year is determined according to your good deeds, however, if you choose not to work you will not have any money.
If you choose to make money with dishonesty or fraud in a way that is against the Torah way, you will likely have more money than that which was destined for you.
However, just like with Adam, the punishment will catch up to you. Your family who is eating food from unclean money will suffer as well. Once the punishment comes, one cannot blame Hashem by saying the suffering is Bashert, this was not their destiny it was their own choosing.
You will not be able to blame other people’s sin see article God punishes those who are bad.
People often ask why is it that you see wicked people have money? Of course, we don’t know how much charity they give quietly or maybe its reward for another mitzvah he did or something his forefather did, but maybe Hashem gave him the money as a test to see if he will give charity.
If he is poor, this man will not have the same opportunity to give the 10% charity so Hashem sent him money to test him to see how what he will choose to do with the money.
