Our ancestors grappled with this very question of agency and divine intervention. Let's dive into a fascinating passage from Bereshit Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Genesis, to explore this idea. Specifically, Bereshit Rabbah 67.
The passage starts with a dramatic scene: Isaac, old and blind, is about to bless his son, but through trickery, Jacob has taken the place of Esau. Rabbi Yitzchak tells us that Isaac actually wanted to curse Jacob. Can you imagine? But, the Holy One, blessed be He, intervened. God essentially warned Isaac, "Be careful, if you curse him, you are cursing yourself!" This is a direct echo of Genesis 27:29, where Isaac himself declared, "Cursed be one who curses you." Think about the implications. Even in a moment of deception and potential anger, God's promise to protect Jacob, and his lineage, held firm.
But the passage doesn't stop there. Rabbi Levi offers a powerful reflection on human control. He divides our senses and limbs into two categories: those we can't control, and those we can.
According to Rabbi Levi, our eyes, ears, and nose are beyond our direct command. We see what we don't want to see, hear what we don't want to hear, smell what we don't want to smell. It's a constant bombardment of sensory input, whether we like it or not.
However, our mouth, hand, and foot? Those are different. Those are, supposedly, within our control. We choose what to say, what to do, where to go. The mouth, Rabbi Levi explains, can be used for Torah study, but it can also utter evil speech, curses, and blasphemies. The hand can perform a mitzvah (a commandment or good deed), or it can steal, even kill. The foot can lead us to places of frivolity – "theaters and circuses," as the text puts it – or to synagogues and study halls.
So, are we truly in charge? Is it all up to us? The text takes a fascinating turn here.
When a person merits it, the Holy One, blessed be He, can actually render the ones in our control to be not in our control! The passage then offers three biblical examples:
First, the hand. Remember King Jeroboam in I Kings 13:4? He raised his hand to seize a prophet, and his hand "shriveled." His agency was taken from him.
Next, the mouth. Going back to our story of Isaac and Jacob, despite Isaac's initial intention, he ultimately declares, "indeed, he shall be blessed" (Genesis 27:33). His mouth spoke a blessing that, in a way, was beyond his own will.
Finally, the foot. Proverbs 1:15-16 warns, "My son, do not walk on the way with them…for their feet run to evil." Here, the implication is that yielding to temptation ultimately takes control away from us.
What does it all mean? This passage from Bereshit Rabbah seems to be suggesting a delicate dance between free will and divine intervention. We have the potential for agency, the power to choose good or evil. But our choices are not made in a vacuum. God is present, sometimes subtly guiding, sometimes directly intervening. And ultimately, our own patterns of behavior can either strengthen our control or surrender it to outside forces.
Perhaps the real question isn't whether we are in control, but how we choose to use the control we have. And maybe, just maybe, surrendering to a higher purpose is the most powerful form of control of all.