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Rabbi Yehuda {Leonard} Blank MS, BCC
Vice President of Professional Development and External Affairs
Chair of the Chaplaincy Commission
Rabbinical Alliance of America/Igud HaRabbonim
917-446-2126 rablenblank@gmail.com
December 25, 2025, 5, Teves, 5786
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What Is Divine Providence?
In Jewish theology, divine providence means that G-d not only knows what is going on down here, but is engaged in supervising it as well. In Hebrew, the term is hashgacha Elokit. When talking about detailed supervision, the term is hashgacha pratit.
Divine providence implies a kind of two-way interplay between Creator and creation, whereby each one responds and interacts with the other. A form of the word first appears in Psalms: “From His dwelling place He oversees all the inhabitants of the earth.”1
The notion of divine providence is a key distinction between Jewish and pagan cosmologies. The pagan generally also believes in one supreme deity, however, that deity is considered too supreme and exalted to stoop down to supervision of this lowly world. Pagan philosophers such as Aristotle considered G-d’s wisdom to be engaged only in the ideal, atemporal worlds beyond our own. The narratives of the Torah and its declaration that the one supreme G-d is the G-d over all the forces of nature places it in direct confrontation with this way of thinking.
Two Approaches
Although, without exception, classical Jewish thinkers acknowledge G-d’s thorough dominion and omniscience “from the horns of the wild oxen to the tiniest louse,”2 nevertheless, two distinct approaches to His hashgacha can be discerned within classic Jewish texts:
From the plain meaning of scriptural, talmudic and midrashic texts emerges a view of G-d intimately involved in every detail of His works, providing even “to the fledgling raven that for which it cries.”3
Jewish philosophers, however, saw G-d in a more passive role. To them, the degree of divine supervision corresponds directly to one’s transcendence of earthly matters. A tzaddik is wrapped up in G-d’s supervision in every detail of his life, whereas a coarse, materialistic person is cast into a world of haphazard, natural causes along with animals and flora. In this lower realm, the philosophers see hashgacha applying only insofar as an event affects the divine plan. Yet, even according to this view, “chance circumstance has its source in Him, for everything stems from Him and is controlled by His supervision.”4
The Baal Shem Tov is credited with the reintroduction of the idea of hashgacha pratit—detailed divine supervision of every occurrence and every creature. Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, one of the foremost early proponents of chassidic thought, articulated a rational basis for this view, linking hashgacha to another vital theme in Jewish thought, continuous creation.
Where It Takes You
Faith in the Creator’s providence provides the basis for bitachon. Just through your belief in His providence you raise yourself to a level at which G-d is intimately involved in your life, in an open, beneficial way.
One who believes in hashgacha pratit finds G-d in all that s/he sees and hears. Every facet of life becomes another opportunity to connect with the Infinite, and thereby another cause for celebration.
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Everything is up to H. He decides the entire future of every human being and all events that occur. Yet a person has a bechirah a choice of what direction he or she can take. If we take a look at all that occurred to Yosef even from the time he was put into the pit, his being sold multiple times and who he was sold to were all in the hands of H. The events that took place while he was imprisoned and how and why he was released and of course why he was imprisoned were all types of hashgacha pratis. Yet there were also instances of bechirah, choices which Yosef was able to make. Sometimes we are in a situation and don’t know which direction to take. We don’t always know what the outcome will be with the decisions or direction we should take. We are mispallel that our decisions will have a meaningful outcome. We can surely say Yosef was a true role model how he was able to be forgiving and to share with his brothers how everything that happened was meant to be and not to show any disappointment.
When we are ministering to mispallim, patients or others who might be going through challenging times, we should listen to their concerns and help guide them with chizuk, understanding, compassion and empathy. The question is how to convey that everything is min hashamayim and how is it possible to help with decision making since there is a bechirah, opportunities to change things hopefully in a meaningful way. We are supposed to have emunah/faith and bitachon/trust in the Ribono shel Olam but sometimes we forget or just don’t think of depending on H for all of our needs, physical, emotional and spiritual. It is important to be supportive and encouraging choosing the right words helping to guide a person with one’s heart and to be filled with kindness and goodness. It is important to help find those attributes a person has for that one spark could help brighten and uplift a person’s spirit in a positive way. Be patient and time will heal. Help to learn to wait for the good that is just around the corner.
From: The Gentle Weapon. Prayers for Everyday and Not-So-Everyday Moments
Timeless Wisdom from the Teachings of the Hasidic Master
Rabbi Nachman of Breslov
“Inner Calm
Patient G,
teach me to be patient-
unruffled by those who anger,
tolerant of those who exasperated,
accepting of those who disappoint.
Help me remain
serene in the face of derision,
calm in the face of provocation,
composed in the midst of a storm.
And G…
teach me to be patient
with myself.”
—————————————–
“Learning To Wait
G of Patience,
teach me
patience.
Help me learn
to wait-
for the good
that is just around the corner;
for the assistance
that will soon be within my reach;
for the relief
that is just a moment away.”
Sincerely, Rabbi Yehuda Blank