Parshas Pinchas: Coincidence or Miracle?
At our l'chaim in Miami, Florida
If you have ever heard the story of how we met, you would be amazed at the coincidences. We met in Peru, but only because Rabbi Ben decided to extend his time in Lima by 3 weeks to learn a particular sefer (book) he found there. He finished his book, and in I walked. Two and a half years later, Rabbi Ben was on his way to Puerto Rico and planned to pass briefly through Miami, where I was living. Due to reading the dates backwards, his air miles expired and he had to take a different flight to Miami… and never made it to Puerto Rico.
Had Rabbi Ben not stopped to study that book at that time and taken so long to do so, we would never have met. Had his air miles not expired, he would not have spent long enough in Miami to fall in love, get engaged, and get married. What a fortunate coincidence!
In this week’s parsha, we see another incredible coincidence. When Moshe uses a lottery to divide up the land of Israel, exactly the right amount of land falls to each tribe. No one tribe gets even a tiny bit too little or even a tiny bit too much. Every tribe gets exactly the right amount… from a lottery!
In Judaism, however, we don’t believe in coincidence. Instead, we see every coincidence as a direct revelation of G-d’s presence and involvement in this world we live in. The truth is, we have the chance every moment to look for and find G-d in our world, or to deny it. As Jews, it is our job to seek G-d and to acknowledge Him when we see His involvement in our lives.
Even when it comes to great miracles, we have the chance to look for and notice G-d. The biggest miracle in history was the exodus from Egypt. Surely G-d’s involvement should be obvious! And yet today scientists have found evidence of the 10 plagues in Egypt… but they have turned around and tried to attribute each of them to natural phenomena. No matter how significant the miracle or how small, it is up to us to see G-d’s hand in it.
Shabbat shalom!
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