How yediyah give us comforting clarity in today’s painful confusion

We used to think of yediyah (Hashem’s control over the world) and bechira (man’s influence on the world) as a puzzling philosophical dilemma. Now, we know how to use both beliefs to enhance our avodas Hashem (service to Hashem) . To embrace our current reality as G-d-given, no matter what it is – and jump into the growth opportunities it presents.

A priceless gem of insight for this historic moment of painful confusion we’re living in. Because if there’s one thing certain about this hostage deal, it’s that every single one of us views it with mixed feelings.

On the one hand, we’re overwhelmed with joy and gratitude as we begin to watch some of our precious brothers and sisters come home.

On the other hand… at what cost?

There’s the fact that we’ve only been guaranteed the return of a limited amount of our precious hostages. And that we don’t know whether all the ones soon to return will come home alive. And that we’ve seemingly been forced into such a painfully lopsided exchange. Part of which has freed convicted murders with a proven record of, G-d forbid, going right back to their old ways.

The worst part is, we know Hamas planned it this way. We know they’re trying to fill us with a helpless sense that evil is winning. And we can’t do anything to reverse their claimed victory.

It’s deeply demoralizing. And from its grip, Hashem – and our ability to serve Him with inner peace – feel far away.

This is where our new power to view life from two different perspectives – yediyah and bechira – can make a massive difference.

How can we activate that difference?

First, we can pause and recognize that our gloomy, helpless, outraged feelings are coming from a bechira perspective. The one that assumes man’s ability to control and influence world events. Looking through this lens, the side of evil truly appears more powerful than the side of good.

But we have another lens – our yediyah one. If we switch to this one, we remember that evil is never in control. Hashem is in total and complete control. Evil is just a means through which He communicates with us.

Not that before we learned about yediyah and bechira, we never held both of these thoughts simultaneously. This isn’t the first time we’ve reacted to world events with a mix of “this is terrible and terrifying” and “Hashem is in control, it’s all part of His plan.”

But before, it was just a mix. A jumble of warring thoughts, their confusion adding another layer of distress atop the rest.

Now, we’re able to separate our reactions into “bechira” and “yediyah.”

So, back to our yediyah lens. Looking through it, we realize we’re not really fighting a war with Hamas. We’re having a communication with Hashem. And the only thing that truly matters is how we decode and act on the messages He’s sending us.

Which gives us back our power. No longer are we hapless victims of Hamas, of political mistakes, of foreign powers determined to bend us to their will.

We’re Jews living in a world of yediyah, and we have our eyes wide open. We’re ready and willing to discern the hidden messages, hear the wakeup calls in them, and respond with growth.

One small example:

Hamas is doing their best to humiliate us and damage our self-image. But – could there be anything more self-affirming than realizing how we Jews care about one another? How far we’re willing to go, how much we’re willing to sacrifice, just to take care of one of our own?

Which brings us to a possible wakeup call. In our ordinary lives, do we properly appreciate the value of a single Jew? It’s easy when that Jew is trapped in a tunnel by savage animals. But what about when they’re the shy, nondescript guy in the back of our shul? Or the coworker who keeps getting on our nerves? Or the Jew from a few neighborhoods over who looks, thinks, dresses and worships differently than us?

When we use our lens of yediyah, this tense period expands with opportunities. Instead of feeling squashed by evil, we can rise above it, use the evil as a tool for growth in avodas Hashem.

It’s a difficult, difficult time. If reading this doesn’t immediately shoot us up into yediyah transcendence – no judgement.

But we need to know that, no matter how defeated we feel, we aren’t powerless. We always have a choice. And there’s always room to emerge victorious in our avodas Hashem.