Spain - The Lottery - Articles about Israel

When one door closes,
another door opens;
but we so often look so long
and so regretfully
upon the closed door,
that we do not see
the ones
which open
for us.
- Alexander Graham Bell

Jewish history reveals a great deal of �� - things that happen when they should happen. Call it serendipity if you like. This fact clearly demonstrates several things:

Issues that are seen from a different time perspective differ substantially from our myopic vision at the time

Nothing is left to chance

That we don't know what is really happening

That a Guiding Force controls everything that happens

Let us take the example of the expulsion of Spanish Jewry in 1492.

Jews lived good lives in Spain, but their hosts were not happy. The Spanish economy had previously been the greatest in the world, but it was now declining. The Spanish Armada still ruled the seas, but not for long. Less than a century would elapse from the expulsion of the Jews from that country until they would be defeated.

Had the Jews remained, they would certainly have been blamed for this crisis. There would probably have been pogroms, murders, blood libels, and other vicious and vindictive forms of retribution. Their expulsion from Spain saved the Jews from the fallout that could not have been imagined at the time.

That expulsion marked the beginning of the end of Spanish domination over the world. Many centuries have passed, but Spain has never been able to regain its previous status.

The Guiding Force that led Jews to the New World

That fateful year when the Jews were expelled from Spain "happens" to correspond with the date in which the New World was discovered by Spanish sailors. Inconclusive evidence indicates that Christopher Columbus and some sailors on the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria may have been Jews, quasi-Jews, or Marranos. Those Jews found a good way to leave Spain at the right time!

In other words, Jews may have discovered America - the land that was to become the haven for many other Jews throughout the world. Jews would flock to America when they faced problems elsewhere. America absorbed, accepted, and welcomed Jews in ways that were far superior to their previous Spanish home.

Spanish Jews may have pointed to 1492 as the year in which they "lost" the lottery. However, when viewed from a historical perspective, it is clear that a Guiding Force caused these events to occur. One would have to be blind not to be able to see that a seeming tragedy was averted and a new golden era began at the same time, in 1492.

Thus, events that "happened" to occur by serendipity may not have been the result of a casual chance after all.

Future generations will have to make various decisions:

Whether the New World was indeed the ideal location for the Jews
Whether they will continue to benefit from their sojourn in that wealthy country
Whether America continues to be the home for the Jews after the founding of the State of Israel

Where do you want to go now?