Life

It continues, meanders along.

We sometimes take notice of it, wonder about it.

Usually, we are busy with what we are doing — no time to focus on the wonder of life.

But when we have a moment, when things are calm, we can sit back, and think, about life.

Are we in control, or is G-d?

In a fascinating sicha – talk, the Lubavitcher Rebbe explores this contradictory phenomenon. Are we doing things, or is G-d? And he explains that everything happens because of Divine providence, yet nevertheless we need to do things with our own efforts.

How can we do this? If it’s all G-d, then what part do we play?

The Rebbe answers, that we have a soul that is part of G-d. So just as G-d can contain opposites and do the impossible, we can also.

So at the same time that we believe that everything is from G-d, we use our own efforts to try to accomplish things.

Contradiction? Yes. Doable? Yes. Because we have the ability to work with contradictions.

I remember when a Lubavitcher scientist who worked for the Pentagon, talked in a video about quantum physics. He explained that in a certain experiment, there were waves and dots, depending how you looked at it.

How could both be possible? It was either one or the other. But that’s how it was. If you looked from one angle, the energy  came out in waves. If you looked from another angle, they were dots. Both were true. A contradiction that nevertheless was the reality.

When the Israeli army fights, we need to use our best efforts, best thinking, to defend Israel and win the war. At the same time, we trust in the Almighty to make our efforts successful.

Because both are true.