We know, of course, the story of creation: six days of incredible activity, culminating in rest. But what about after that? What occupies the divine attention now?

Well, according to a fascinating passage in Bereshit Rabbah 68, a Midrash (rabbinic commentary) on the book of Genesis, God is a matchmaker.

The story begins with Rabbi Yehuda bar Simon, who quotes Psalm 68:7: “God settles the individuals in a home.” This verse sets the stage for a lively debate between a noblewoman and Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥalafta. She asks him a simple question: How long did it take God to create the world? Six days, he replies, citing Exodus 20:11. But then she asks the real zinger: What has God been doing ever since?

Rabbi Yosei answers that God is busy matchmaking: pairing this daughter with that son, this widow with that man, this property with that owner. The noblewoman scoffs. "Is that his vocation? I can do that! I have a thousand slaves and a thousand maidservants. I can pair them off in a moment!"

The Rabbi, knowing better, replies with a wonderful line: "If it appears simple in your eyes, before the Holy One, blessed be He, it is as difficult as the parting of the Red Sea!"

Did she listen? Of course not! She immediately gathers her slaves and maidservants and, in one night, arranges marriages for them all.

The next day, chaos ensues. One slave has a wounded head, another a gouged eye, another a broken leg. They all cry out, "I don't want this one!" and "I don't want that one!"

The noblewoman, defeated, summons Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥalafta. "There is no God like your God!" she exclaims. "Your Torah is True, fine and praiseworthy! You spoke well!"

The Rabbi, vindicated, simply repeats his earlier statement: "If it appears simple in your eyes, before the Holy One, blessed be He, it is as difficult as the parting of the Red Sea!"

So, what does God do? According to this Midrash, God orchestrates connections, sometimes even against our will or initial preferences. We are matched "against their will, not to their liking," as the text says, implying that God sees a bigger picture that we often miss.

The Midrash continues, explaining that God matches them "bakosharot," which is interpreted as "with weeping [bekhi] and with song [veshirot]." Some pairings bring joy and celebration, while others are born of struggle and tears. Rabbi Berekhya adds that God "crafts ladders, and humbles this one and raises that one, lowers this one and elevates that one," echoing Psalm 75:8: "But it is God who is the Judge; He humbles this one and raises that one."

Interestingly, the Midrash concludes by noting that sometimes we go to our match, and sometimes our match comes to us. Isaac, in Genesis 24:63, had his match come to him – he went out walking in the field and saw Rebecca approaching on a camel. Jacob, on the other hand, went to his match, traveling from Beersheba to find Rachel.

What are we to take away from this? Perhaps that the connections in our lives, the relationships we form, and even the opportunities that come our way are not random. Maybe there's a divine hand, gently (or sometimes not so gently!) guiding us toward our destined partners, our meaningful work, and ultimately, our purpose. And maybe, just maybe, what seems difficult or unwanted at first might be part of a larger, divinely orchestrated plan.