You might think that you’ve got life figured out. You might believe that everything pretty much makes sense.

But you’re wrong.

What if I told you that there’s a deeper reality, one that doesn’t conform to the natural laws we’re accustomed to?

The world operates on a level far beyond what we can imagine, and it certainly doesn’t make sense based on the natural world alone.

Bnei Yisrael is L’malah min hatevah—we are above nature.

Let me share a personal experience to illustrate this.

About a decade ago, I was searching for a job and was approached by a recruiter who invited me to interview for a position at a large, well-known company. The interview was scheduled for early Monday morning, with three company executives flying into my city specifically for it. They asked me to learn about the company’s services and create a presentation to sell their own services back to them.

It was Thursday evening, and I had plans for Sunday that couldn’t be changed, so Friday was the only day I had to prepare for the interview.

As I began my research on Friday morning, a friend called. He organized a weekly Torah class on Shabbat for young men in our community and asked if I could give the class that week, as he was unable to do so. This class was the only Torah study some of these young men engaged in all week, and I couldn’t bear to see it canceled. So, I agreed to teach, knowing it meant sacrificing my interview preparation time.

I told myself, “Torah is more important. Other jobs will come along.”

I spent the day preparing for the Torah class instead of the interview. Just before Shabbat, I received a call from the recruiter. She apologized, explaining that one of the executives couldn’t make it until Wednesday, so my interview was postponed.

I couldn’t believe the hashgacha (divine providence).

I now had plenty of time to prepare on Monday and Tuesday. When Wednesday came, I was ready, and I crushed the interview.

As I was walking to my car afterward, the recruiter called again to say the executives were impressed and that I could expect a formal job offer soon.

You would think the story ends there, but there’s more.

Before the deadline to respond to the job offer, another, better opportunity arose—one that was more exciting and aligned with my goals.

I did something I never would have had the guts to do otherwise.

I called the company offering the new job, asked to speak to the head of the program, and told them I was about to accept another offer unless they fast-tracked their process for me. I also asked questions that I normally wouldn’t ask until much later in the process.

Long story short, I got the new job, turned down the first offer, and spent the next five years in what was, at that point, the best job of my career.

This story exemplifies the principle of L’malah min hatevah. When we prioritize Torah and follow Hashem’s will, even when it seems to go against our natural instincts or what society deems logical, Hashem steps in and makes things happen in ways we couldn’t have imagined.

The Vilna Gaon comments on the bracha of Magen Avot that we say three times a day. The blessing starts with “Melech Ozer, Umoshia, Umagen” but ends with “Magen Avraham.”

  • Hashem is Ozer: He helps us when we put in our hishtadlut (human effort).
  • Hashem is Moshia: He saves us even when our hishtadlut falls short.
  • Hashem is Magen: He protects us when we prioritize doing His will over our own.

Avraham Avinu epitomized someone who went against the grain to fulfill Hashem’s will. He was known as Avraham Ha’Ivri because, as the Midrash tells us, the whole world was on one side, and Avraham was on the other. He lived entirely to do the will of Hashem, and Hashem protected and blessed him beyond natural means.

The Torah repeatedly teaches us that life doesn’t follow the logic of the natural world.

  • Keep Shabbat: Work for six days, take off the biggest shopping day of the week, and Hashem will bless you.
  • Keep Shemita: Take a year off from working your land, and Hashem will bless you with enough produce in the sixth year to last until the ninth year.
  • Tithe your land: The Torah uses the expression “Aser Te’aser,” which the Gemara in Taanit interprets as, “Tithe so that you will become wealthy.”

These examples all point to the same truth: Hashem runs the world. When we look past the veil of nature, we see that much of what we thought we knew is wrong.

We often get lost in our fast-paced lives, driven by the logic that “the more you work, the more money you make,” or “If you do X, you get Y.”

But the Torah tells us over and over that Bnei Yisrael is L’malah min hatevah. We are above nature. When we live according to the Torah and follow Hashem, we operate on a completely different plane.

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