A few years ago, my husband and I were having one of our many discussions. And while I can't remember what it was about, I do clearly remember the question he asked me midway through it: “so which is it then, do you believe in free will or do you believe in predestination?” Since that time I have revisited the question often, and the Joseph story challenges me again to explore it further.

I'm fascinated by the Joseph story. I enjoy the narrative in its simplest form, as well as the in depth Torah commentary. I even love the delightful play by Andrew Lloyd Webber (it doesn't hurt that my teen idol plays the lead on the DVD)! In thinking about the Joseph narrative, and all that happens, I couldn't help but lean on the side of free will: at first glance, all that happens to Joseph seems to be by chance. A by chance event, I believe, is one that happens quite by accident and ends up sometimes enhancing or even changing the course we were originally on. For instance, I would never have met my husband if it hadn't been for a “by chance” happening. We had worked for the same company for two years with out ever meeting then at the company holiday party we ended up (quite by accident) at the same table. We married the next August twenty one years ago.

So in going over Joseph's story I was taken by all the “by chance” happenings throughout the narrative. For example, after his brothers threw him in the pit they sat down to discuss what to do with him-and lo and behold a group of Ishmaelites came riding by. The brothers sell him and he's taken to Egypt! Egypt! That's where he is supposed to go! Then later after he is sent to prison he happens to meet two of Pharaoh's servants and interprets their dreams. That's very convenient since that's exactly what Pharaoh needs: a dream interpreter! So now I need to rethink my original conclusion… Maybe these twists of fate are not as random as I had once thought. Maybe they're not by chance at all!

What if it was actually supposed to happen in just that way? Perhaps it is predestined after all!

It appears that Joseph and his brothers really didn't have a choice in the matter. If it hadn't played out just this way would we be here as free Jews today? I don't think so. I think our history would be quite different.

So now the question becomes: “is it just our ancient ancestors that had their destinies so neatly planned out or are we on a similar path?” Or perhaps it's only a few special people for whom God has a specific purpose? How did a school teacher from the United States end up Prime Minister of Israel (Golda Meir)? I always thought it was probably a random set of events that propelled her into that position. For which she was perfectly suited, I might add. Now I wonder if the hand of God reaches out and touches those whom God has chosen, thus propelling them to their destiny.

This theory applies well to Joseph. He was very much his own person. Very human. He had it all at first, position and power, and he abused it. Then he lost everything. He had to roll with the punches, adapt and accept his circumstances each time they changed. Then I believe God interceded and his true destiny is then achieved.

So I go back to my husband's question: Do I believe in free will or pre-destination? Actually, I think maybe the answer lies somewhere in the middle. I think the difference between predestination and free will is that predestination is the hand you are dealt, while free will is what you ultimately do with that hand. While we don't have a choice about the gifts and abilities we are born with, we are totally responsible for what we do about discovering and developing these gifts. Joseph clearly was not dealt a good hand, but he did demonstrate in this story good use of his God-given talents to deal with the many dilemmas he faced, and in doing so fulfilled his destiny. So while we may sometimes feel we have no control over our path or the direction of our lives, we certainly have control over how to handle the stuff that happens to us. In the end, regardless of what hand we are dealt, we all have free-will to to respond to the outside world. And in doing so, hopefully, fulfilling our own destiny.

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