Weekly Torah Portion

The uniqueness of a person attests to how special each of us is. Some people like certain flavors, fruits or experiences while other people (myself included) won’t touch a raw tomato with a ten-foot pole. Don’t ask me why – It’s part of my DNA.

All the different parts of my life are what make me unique. When it comes to Torah and Mitzvos, a similar phenomenon exists. The beautiful tapestry of Judaism allows individuals to find particular parts of our treasured heritage they really relate to. This doesn’t mean we can pick and choose which areas of Judaism to participate in, but we can choose individually to excel first in certain areas.

For me, one area of Judaism I really connect to and enjoy delving into is a concept called Hashgacha Pratis – the constant belief and awareness that Hashem cares about and is intimately involved with every intricate detail of my life. It is often explained: life is a huge puzzle, with trillions of pieces, one that can only be completed over thousands of years.

Something may not make sense now, may be terrible now, may be hard to digest now – but Hashem, the ultimate Puzzle Master, knows where all the parts should be at any specific time. Knowing that Hashem moves and orchestrates the myriad of pieces is not only comforting, but it is also empowering to know that everything that happens to us is truly for the best.

Hasgacha Pratis, G-d’s involvement in our lives, is a focal point of the upcoming holiday of Purim. Contrasted to Pesach, where Hashem publicly showed the entire world of his involvement and mastery (through the 10 plagues, splitting of the sea, freeing the Jewish people and public giving of the Torah), Purim represents more of a “behind-the-scenes” involvement.

G-d doesn’t have neon flashing lights saying “Here I am, watch my plan!” but all the parts come together perfectly. Esther just “happens” to be picked from all the possible replacements and is in the right place to save the Jewish people from destruction. Even more fascinating is the explicit omission of G-d’s name throughout the Megillah text, the retelling of the extraordinary occurrences of Purim. Hashem’s name is not in the Megillah at all, as a reminder that we can choose to believe it was a coincidence, or we can choose to believe Hashem has got it all covered.

Because sometimes Hashem gives us a big old hug, a public display of his infinite love. We clearly see Him involved in the day-to-day. But most of life is like Purim – Hashem is there, but we need to look, to search, for Him.

We need to put in the work of analyzing the miracles of the universe, the endless beauty and design of our world, appreciating how our body works, noticing the people in our life, choosing to see the Hashgacha Pratis – choosing to know that Hashem has got it covered. And that is the best feeling in the world.