Is There Order to this World?

She doesn’t understand. She has a number, she waited in line, the other person still went ahead of her.

She doesn’t understand. They both work so hard and invest so much time and energy. Why is that one paid more and the other one paid less?

She doesn’t understand how she can do so much and not receive any public recognition for a job well done.

She cries in pain and exhaustion. Everything feels like such a struggle for her and it is.

The woman across the street has ten, she has none. “What kind of a world is this?” she asks. “Can’t I just have one?”

We live in a world that seems so unfair. So imbalanced. One is rich, one is poor. One is healthy, one is sick. One was born with more intelligence or obvious talents, the other’s strengths are hidden, yet to be revealed.

The younger is at times more capable than the elder, more mature, wiser. The older one at times acts more childish, sillier than the little one on the floor. One has, one doesn’t. What’s going on?

Now Israel's eyes had become heavy with age, [to the extent that] he could not see… And Joseph took them both, Ephraim at his right, from Israel's left, and Manasseh at his left, from Israel's right, and he brought [them] near to him… But Israel stretched out his right hand and placed [it] on Ephraim's head, although he was the younger, and his left hand [he placed] on Manasseh's head. He guided his hands deliberately, for Manasseh was the firstborn… And Joseph saw that his father was placing his right hand on Ephraim's head, and it displeased him. So he held up his father's hand to remove it from upon Ephraim's head [to place it] on Manasseh's head. And Joseph said to his father, "Not so, Father, for this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head." But his father refused, and he said, "I know, my son, I know; he too will become a people, and he too will be great. But his younger brother will be greater than he, and his children['s fame] will fill the nations." (Beresheit 48:10-19).

What’s going is that there is an order to this world. There is a sun that rises in the morning and sets in the onset of night (depending on where you are in the world!). There is a concept called gravity and one called “luck”. There are jobs that get paid a certain amount and lines that you must wait in to get to the front. There is a concept of “nature”. One plus one equals two and yes, if you run, you’ll get there quicker than if you walk.

Then there’s something else. Something that is beyond what eyes can see even in front of us. It’s that G-d, not us, runs this world. So you run, and you trip on the way. You get there later than if you walked. The person behind you in line knows the clerk and gets bumped to the front. The one who needs money most gets laid of from their job and the one who has plenty gets a raise. The woman who doesn’t want anymore children is expecting another one and the one who runs from doctor to doctor can’t even conceive one. You cry, it all seems so unfair.

But fundamental, is our belief, that there is more to the picture. You choose to either accept this or not.

Yes, G-d is running the world and He makes the calculations.

He gives sight to a blind man and that doesn’t make sense. The one who can’t see really sees things clearer. And through the blind man we are blessed.

So he blessed them on that day, saying, "With you, Israel will bless, saying, 'May God make you like Ephraim and like Manasseh,' " and he placed Ephraim before Manasseh (ibid 48:20).

There is a level of acceptance of His wisdom that comes by working on faith and letting go. By saying, “I just don’t understand. I’m not in control.” And with this each one is blessed with their unique challenges and mission and yes at times the younger goes first because that’s his G-d given role.

May we be blessed with peace of mind and the clarity of the “blind”. May we bless our children to know that there is a reason for everything, even what doesn’t make sense or what we think we see.

Shabbat shalom,

Elana