It’s Bashert

It's Bashert

You may have heard of the Yiddish expression "it's Bashert," loosely translated as "it is meant to be."

While this expression is most commonly used to describe finding one's soul mate in the context of marriage and dating, such as saying "I found my Bashert," it also has a broader meaning in various aspects of life. It applies to our outlook on career choices, places of residence, and when faced with unexpected challenges and opportunities.

Unlike attributing the course of our lives to fate, luck, or coincidence, "it's Bashert" conveys the significant Jewish value of recognizing that everything happens for a reason. Every occurrence is divinely ordained for our own best interests, enabling us to fulfill our purpose in life.

Although we each have the responsibility to exert effort, plan, and take care of our needs, the ultimate outcome of our actions and the success of our endeavors are determined by G-d. We have the choice of whether or not to embrace the opportunities presented to us.

When things do not go as planned, it is easy to become frustrated. It may be tempting to avoid the issue or blame others. We might think that if only we had a different job, family, home, or community, things would be different.

However, real change starts with ourselves. By shifting our perspective and utilizing our unique qualities and capabilities, we can genuinely grow and prosper.

In this week’s Torah portion, Pinchas, we learn about the allocation of the land of Israel amongst the Jewish people in anticipation of their conquest of the land.

As the verse states, “You shall apportion the Land among these as an inheritance, in accordance with the number of names. To the large [tribe] you shall give a larger inheritance and to a smaller tribe you shall give a smaller inheritance, each person shall be given an inheritance according to his number. Only through lot shall the Land be apportioned; they shall inherit it according to the names of their fathers' tribes.”- Numbers 26:53-55

Rashi, Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki (1040-1105 Troyes, France), explains that the allocation process took into account the population size and unique needs of each tribe to ensure that everyone received a portion of land that was fitting for them both quantitatively and qualitatively.

As you can imagine, since the plots of land were not identical, there was plenty of room for fighting and jealousy. “His plot is larger than mine!” and “his land is more fertile!” and so on. To avoid this outcome, before confirming the allocation process, G-d instructed Moshe to divide the land by a Divine lottery: the names of the twelve tribes were written down and placed in one box, and the coordinates of the plots of land were placed in a second box. Then, pairs of lots—one from each box—were drawn. A Temple priest was there to prophesy each pick, ensuring faith in the lottery’s divine accuracy. To top it off, the lottery tickets themselves miraculously announced each pairing. As a result, no one questioned the results.

Each family knew that their plot of land, with its advantages and disadvantages, was Bashert for them and instead of comparing and complaining, they embraced it.

Conquering the land of Canaan by the Jewish people, and its transformation into Israel, a holy land where the connection to G‑dliness, Judaism, and goodness is apparent, reflects our task in the world at large. The intent of the creation of the world is to transform this physical world into a home for G‑d, i.e. a place where G‑d feels comfortable and reveals Himself completely, as people fully reveal and express themselves in their own homes.

G-d entrusts each of us with a portion of the world that we must transform into a “mini-Israel''. We are each given the talents, gifts, and capabilities which we need to fulfill our purpose in life. Ultimately, only through accepting and embracing our divine mission can we truly live a happy and meaningful life.

In the Jewish calendar, we have now entered the period called The Three Weeks. It represents a time of mourning for the Jewish people when we recall the destruction of both the first Temple in Jerusalem by the Babylonians and the second Temple by the Romans over two thousand years ago.

While this period is primarily marked as a time of mourning, reflection and introspection, it is also a time of hope and anticipation to rebuild the Third Temple very soon with the coming of Redemption.

Every challenge brings with it opportunities as well. On the one hand, these two thousand years of exile have been very challenging as the Jewish people were faced with expulsions, crusaders, cossacks, the holocaust, communism and numerous other hostile environments.

On the other hand, this period of exile has brought out the determination, strength, perseverance, and beauty of our people. As many tyrants, dictators, and evil empires have come and gone, the Jewish people continue to stand proud and thrive as we embrace our faith and heritage and teach the world about belief in G-d, ethics, morals, kindness, philanthropy and serving as “a light unto the nations” as expressed through the teachings of the Torah and performance of Mitzvot. Over time, many of these divine truths have become ingrained in the very essence of our society.

Our Sages state that in the era of Redemption, this period of mourning will be transformed into a holiday when we will appreciate the deeper meaning behind all the suffering we have endured and reap the reward of all our cumulative work during these past few millennia.

A principal difference between Exile and Redemption is our perspective. Imagine turning the light on in a previously dark palace giving you the ability to appreciate the skillfully designed architecture and to partake of the delicious delicacies available. Moshiach will turn on the “lights” of the world enabling us to appreciate the true beauty and inherent value of all creations.

The Midrash teaches that in the era of the Messiah, the holiness of the Land of Israel will encompass the entire earth! When our Sages say that the borders of Israel will expand, the intention is not for material gain. Rather, it conveys the idea that in the future, as a culmination of our efforts, the entire world will be elevated and infused with holiness and goodness which is represented by the land of Israel.