[Avodah] proofs of G-d

[Marty Bluke]

An interesting question that can be asked is how does bechira interact
with hashgocha pratis

Imagine 2 people Reuven and Shimon. Last Rosh Hashana Shimon was
granted life for the year. Now Reuven and Shimon get into an argument
and Reuven wants to kill Shimon. Can he kill him? On one hand we have
the idea of bechira chofshis on the other the idea of hashgocha
pratis. In parshas Vayeshev a number of mefarshim address this
question.

When the brothers are planning on killing Yosef, Reuven saves him by
suggesting throwing him into the pit. The mefarshim ask what did
Reuven accomplish, the pit was very dangerous (full of snakes, etc.),
even life threatening. The Or Hachaim and the Alshich both answer as
follows. A person has bechira chofshis and therefore the brothers
could kill Yosef even if he was not supposed to die. However, animals
since they have no bechira chofshis they cannot kill someone if he is
not supposed to die. In other words, bechira trumps hashgocha pratis.
The Netziv gives this answer as well, however he qualifies it by
saying that this only applies to someone who is not a tzadik gamur,
but a tzadik gamur cannot be harmed even through bechira.

The truth is that this should not be surprising. Most (if not all) the
Rishonim limit Hashgacha Pratis. The Sefer HaChinuch, Mitzvah 169,
writes:

"There are sects among mankind who maintain that Divine providence
controls all the matters of this world… that when a leaf falls from a
tree, He decreed that it would fall…. This approach is far-removed
from the intellect."

Both the Rambam and the Ramban based hashgacha pratis on a person's
closeness to hashem.

Meshech Chochma( Shemos 13:9)writes:

"Divine Providence is manifest for each Jew according to his spiritual
level as the Rambam explains in Moreh Nevuchim (3:18): Divine
Providence is not equal for everyone but rather is proportional to
their spiritual level. Consequently the Divine Providence for the
prophets is extremely powerful each according to their level of
prophecy. The Divine Providence for the pious and saintly is according
to their level of perfection. In contrast the fools and the rebels
lacking spirituality are in essence in the same category as animals...
This concept that Divine Providence is proportional to spiritual level
is one of foundations of Judaism..."

Today, this idea (that the Chinuch explicitly rejects) of hashgacha
pratis on everything has taken hold. There is no question that it is a
very calming thought. You don't have to worry about chance occurrences
affecting you, everything is directly from Hashem. However, this was
not the view of the overwhelming majority of the Rishonim.