A Person's Match Comes Only From the Holy One

Yalkut Shimoni on Nach 70:1

Curated by Arthur·Told by Maggid·

"But his father and his mother did not know that it was from the LORD" (Judges 14:4). Rabbi Pinchas in the name of Rabbi Aivu: In the Torah, in the Prophets, and in the Writings we find that a person's mate comes from none other than the Holy One, blessed be He. From the Torah, how do we know? As it is written, "And Laban and Bethuel answered and said: The matter has come forth from the LORD" (Genesis 24:50). From the Prophets, how do we know? As it is written, "But his father and his mother did not know that it was from the LORD" (Judges 14:4). From the Writings, how do we know? As it is written, "House and wealth are the inheritance of fathers, but a prudent wife is from the LORD" (Proverbs 19:14). And there is one who goes to his mate, and there is one whose mate comes to him. To Isaac his mate came, as it is said, "And Isaac lifted up his eyes and saw, and behold, camels were coming" (Genesis 24:63-64). Jacob went to his mate, as it is said, "And Jacob went out" (Genesis 28:10).

Themes

MarriageDivine JusticeWisdom

Continue Reading

The Exempla of the Rabbis (1924)The Blind Man, the Thousand Dinars, and the Unfaithful WifeA king summoned Rabbi Joshua ben Chanania and pressed him with a hard question. Is your God really just? He creates some people blind, others lame, others deforThe Exempla of the Rabbis (1924)The Snake, the Robber, and the Wife in Solomon's ParableA young man rode from Tiberias to Betar and met a young woman who fell in love with him on sight. They married within days. A year later she asked him to bring The Exempla of the Rabbis (1924)The Wife Who Built a Rest House From a Cart of CoalsA man in the Gaster manuscripts left his wife after many years of marriage. His reason was the oldest reason in the world: she had borne him only daughters. No Hebraic Literature (1901)The Weasel and the Well That Witnessed a Broken VowA young man traveling through the country met a young woman, and they fell in love. When he had to leave her town, they swore to wait for each other until they The Exempla of the Rabbis (1924)What Has God Been Doing Since Creation FinishedA Roman matrona, a noblewoman who liked to corner rabbis with hard questions, came to Rabbi Joshua and asked him something she thought he could not answer. "If The Exempla of the Rabbis (1924)The Divorce Plot That Shammai's Disciple UnraveledA certain man in Jerusalem wanted to divorce his rich wife. The problem was that her marriage contract, her ketubah, stipulated a considerable sum to be paid to