Nothing is Random

We all know by now that nothing is random. 
.As written in Yehuda Berg's weekly Kabbalah Tune up for March 25-March 30, the following story
you may have heard before, as I read it, it felt good being reminded of the interconnectedness of life....

 I recently went to Honduras and met with three people: The ex-president of Honduras - Manuel Zelaya, the current President of Honduras - Porfirio Lobo, and General Romeo Vásquez Velásquez. It was interesting to be in a room with these three men who clearly share a piece of that country’s destiny.

I was reminded there of a story about the great Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer, also known as the Baal Shem Tov. A student of the Baal Shem Tov’s came to him and said, “Life is so random! There’s no real justice in the world!” The Baal Shem Tov told his student to go to the park and there he would see the contrary, that life is certainly not random.

The student did as his teacher suggested and at the park he saw a man arrive with a large bag of money. Distracted by something happening in the distance, the man with the money set his bag down next to a tree and went off to investigate. Meanwhile, a second person showed up, found the bag, looked inside the bag and took the fortune! It’s not long before a third man came into the park and decided to sit down next to the tree for a rest. When the first man returned to the tree, he saw his bag with the money has been taken and assuming it was stolen by the man sitting there, proceeded to beat up the bystander!

Returning to the Baal Shem Tov, the student exclaimed, “Life is random! I saw a man lose all his money. I saw a second person gain tremendous wealth for no reason. And I saw a third man beaten up without warrant.”

The Baal Shem Tov explained, “You didn’t have all of the information. Long ago, the first man you saw stole from the second man. This is why he now had to lose his wealth to him. The third man you saw was the judge of their trial and had unrightfully taken a bribe so the first man could keep what he had stolen.”

The men in the park shared a story about money; the men I met in Honduras shared a story about power. Every situation in life is a shared story of destiny playing itself out. This is an important lesson to remember: As trivial or meaningless as things seem there is always a cosmic dance taking place. This makes every circumstance important, relevant and truthful. It is our job to unravel the mystery and step up to our purpose. For me, I feel that I was in Honduras so that I could share this experience with you!

…Nothing is random.

All the best,

Yehuda