[Avodah] Fwd (JID): "Who Says There Are No Coincidences?"

[Kenneth Miller]

Like R' Micha Berger seems to be saying, I would say that "There are no coincidences" is pretty much identical to "Universal Hashgachah Peratis".

Under UHP, I cannot stub my toe without it having been divinely decreed. To me, that sounds identical to discovering that I share the same birthday with someone -- I would not have found out the fact unless there was a reason for me to have found it out. It was not happenstance; it was not a coincidence.

"Tzuri v'lo avlasa bO." If Reuven does an aveira, and HaShem decides on a certain consequence, He will also consider the ripple effects to Reuven's family, his friends, and anyone else who might be affected. My suffering from his aveira will not be just my bad luck - a coincidence - but it will be something that I deserve.

Granted that UHP is not unanimously subscribed to, as R' Micha reminded us. To those who disagree, and say that Hashgacha Pratis is true but only applies to "the big stuff" and not every detail of every person's life, there are indeed coincidences. In this view, stuff happens, and for the most part, it happens randomly, and I would think randomness to be equivalent to coincidence.

Akiva Miller
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