If only I... - The Lottery - Articles about Israel

Some people dream, "If only I...." They feel that things would have worked out better for them if they had done something different, or if they had the power to make certain changes.

They do not realize that a Higher Power determines what will work out. Getting to a location earlier or later does not assure that things will be better for you.

For example, we hear of people who left Israel during a war, only to meet their fate in a car accident upon arriving in "safe" territory abroad. One woman left Israel because of terrorist attacks, and was killed in a terrorist bombing in England.

Think about a busy intersection or train terminal. Thousands of people pass through it every day. This system works because people come at different times throughout the day. If they would all come at once, then the intersection or the train terminal would choke with the influx of cars or people.

Now let's imagine that a tragedy occurs at that train terminal. Only those people who were there at that time were killed. Would it be fair to say that if only they came at a different time they would not have been killed?

Let's carry it one step further. What if all of the people who were going to be at the terminal throughout the day would have come to the train terminal at the exact time of the tragedy? In that case, a larger number of people would have been killed.

The "if only" argument does not work. Those who were there were destined to be killed. Others faced a different destiny.

Does this mean that we should accept everything blindly, without trying to improve our lot in life? Of course not. It is our job to do everything in our power to develop and create the best possible circumstances. On the other hand, we should also realize our limitations: Many things are beyond our control. We must accept the fact that certain things are inevitable, and that it could not have been better.

A friend ran for a bus in Israel because he was late for an appointment. The bus was attacked by a terrorist bomb, and he was murdered.

Had he waited for the next bus, he would have been late for his appointment. He and others would have been upset. However, he would not necessarily have remained alive today.

If he had been on a different bus, then everything else in the world would also have been different. Our limited comprehension, understanding, and imagination cannot tell what could or could not have happened under those theoretical circumstances.

Where do you want to go now?