How Mazal, Negligence, and Divine Will Coexist
If we truly possess free will, a dilemma seems to arise: could our choices ever run counter to Hashem’s will? If so, would that imply that Hashem is not fully in control? But if our freedom is merely an illusion – if we never really choose – then free will itself is meaningless. Both options are unsettling. The resolution lies in understanding how Divine governance (hashgacha) functions. To reconcile these apparent contradictions, we need to recognize that Hashem’s direction of the world operates on multiple levels at once. Drawing on the Ramchal, we find that he describes two complementary modes of Divine direction (Derech Hashem II:1-2). These can be understood as the distinction between:
Hanhagas HaMishpat (Governance of Justice) – the system of moral cause and effect in which our free will choices carry consequence; what we do determines the outcomes we experience. In this framework, reward and punishment unfold naturally, like cause following effect. The moral fabric of reality responds to human choice.
Hanhagas HaYichud (Governance of Unity / Destiny) – the deeper, all-encompassing guidance through which Hashem directs every detail toward the revelation of His unity; nothing is random, and each of us has a distinct role in that unfolding plan. Here, even apparent setbacks or detours are ultimately integrated into Hashem’s plan for Creation.
Although these systems work together, hanhagas haMishpat is ultimately subordinate to hanhagas haYichud. This is because our proper use of free will serves a greater role in revealing Hashem’s Oneness. As we proactively elevate and perfect ourselves – fulfilling our tikkun – we also advance the greater tikkun of all Creation (tikkun olam).
When we misuse our free will, we become a kli (a “vehicle” or a “vessel”) whose role shifts to supporting those who are fulfilling their primary Divine purpose (Rabbi Eliyahu Dessler, Strive for Truth, Vol. II, 75-76). Rabbi Shlomo Wolbe elaborates on the implications of this spiritual demotion: “From the perspective of hashgacha pratis, he has no right to exist in the world, since he has not completed his share… [He] serves as tools for the tzaddik who is serving Hashem” (Sifsei Chaim, Pirkei Emunah VeHashgacha 1:27-29).
Providence has not been removed, but the person moves from a state of independence – the active use of free will – to a state of dependency, where his actions no longer determine or encompass the entirety of his fate or circumstances, and he is largely dependent on how others use their free will. Like a generic puzzle piece, he is moved to where there is space. This, in part, is what it means to be left to chance. We no longer take our place as free-willed beings whose unique essence bursts forth, but instead are corralled into an opening, to complete the larger picture.
Unnecessary Does Not Mean Random
The fact that a challenge may have been unnecessary does not mean it was random. Because this scenario maximizes a person’s contribution to Creation, their purpose shifts. However, operating within the realm of nature, this shift wouldn’t have been necessary at this time and in this way if the situation had not arisen.
Divine wisdom ensures that circumstances are never arbitrary – on the contrary, it is Hashem’s supervision that allows events to unfold according to His will. Yet to say we are governed by ceaseless Providence does not mean that every challenge we face had to occur in that exact way.
Everything Hashem does is orchestrated for our ultimate good. He allows us to gain – even when we do not grow – by making us a kli, a conduit through which good can come through us (and, when necessary, even without our conscious participation), thereby maximizing our s’char – our reward in the Next World. Earlier we established that when we operate within our madreigah, our potential is preserved and accounted for, and our purpose in life is coordinated with the rest of Creation. However, should a person fall below his madreigah, he is considered negligent, and any decree in place may be withdrawn (see Kesubos 30a). The Ramchal explains that the sin of negligence itself also warrants punishment. He writes:
One who wishes to act without wisdom and abandon himself to danger has not trust, but recklessness. And he is a sinner in that he acts against the will of the Creator, Who desires that man protect himself. So aside from the inherent danger of the matter which he is prone to because of carelessness, he openly calls punishment down upon himself because of this sin. Thus, the sin of negligence itself leads him to be punished (Mesillas Yesharim 9).
Negligence is not an exception to a precision-cut reality; it’s built into it. In the next column we’ll explore how when a person drifts so far from his purpose that he loses direct connection to Hashem’s will, the good he can facilitate becomes sharply limited.
To be continued.