The world runs in a way that makes it appear as though people can affect our lives, that the amount of money we earn depends on the economy, and that one nation defeats another because of its military strength. But there is so much more than what meets the eye.
Hazal taught us, אין צייר כאלוקינו – “There is no artist like our G-d.” The Ba’yam Derech explains this comment by telling the story of a contest held between two world-renowned artists. Each was to paint a work of art, and then present it to the judges on the day of the contest. When the day came, the first artist revealed his work. It was a masterful depiction of a man eating a cluster of grapes. It looked so real that birds flew and tried pecking at the grapes. The judges, needless to say, were very impressed.
They then turned to the second artist, and saw that his painting was covered with a large veil. They asked him to reveal his painting, but he declined.
“There’s no point,” he said. “My opponent’s painting was so good, mine does not stand a chance.” But the judges insisted. “If you really want to see it,” the artist said, “then you can remove the veil.”
One of the judges approached to remove the veil, but he couldn’t – because there was no veil. The painting was a real-life depiction of a large veil. The work was so good that it even fooled the judges. And he won the contest.
אין צייר כאלוקינו. No artist is like Hashem – not even the second artist in the story. Even when we touch his painting, we still think its real. He could fool the entire world into thinking that nature has power and people have power, whereas in reality אין עוד מלבדו – everything that happens is a manifestation of Hashem’s will.
Viewing the world from the wrong perspective has enslaved us, as it has made us feel dependent on so many different people and so many different factors that in truth are inconsequential. When we think that we have power, we regret decisions that we’ve made and constantly second-guess ourselves. Imagine a person has been looking for an apartment in a particular neighborhood. He calls all the brokers, asks all his friends, speaks to numerous contacts, but nothing works out. One day, he sees a sign on the synagogue bulletin board announcing an apartment for rent right in the location he is interested in. He calls the number, but is then told that somebody else had called a half-hour earlier, and the apartment is no longer available. The man would likely feel very frustrated and beside himself. He would probably think to himself, “I don’t believe it! If I would have come just a half-an-hour earlier, I would have had the apartment I was looking for!” But this is only the appearance. In reality, this apartment was as good as it would have been if it were in Australia. Hashem decided that this apartment was not for him. Hazal tell us that a heavenly voice announces, בית פלוני לפלוני – “Such-and-such house is for so-and-so.” Hashem decides who will live where. We must not be fooled by appearances.
A businessman meets with a potential customer. This is a great opportunity, and he spent a great deal of time preparing the meeting. But after the meeting, the prospective customer apologetically informs him that the company decided to do business with somebody else. The man will likely start blaming himself, thinking that if this or that would have been done differently, the customer would have signed on. But if he does, he is being fooled. The customer was never his. Only Hashem determines our parnasah. There is no reason for any regrets. This man put in his effort, as he was supposed to, but Hashem decided to send him his livelihood along a different route.
A person thinks he found the perfect match for his daughter. The boy has stellar qualities and comes from an outstanding family. The girl’s father calls the shadchan and learns that the boy had just started dating somebody else. In the end, the boy marries that girl. The man might think to himself, “If only I had made that call just a week earlier!” But this is nonsense. A heavenly voice had already decreed בת פלוני לפלוני – that his daughter would marry somebody else. The father should make believe he had never heard the name; he was never the one.
It’s all a test. We must not be fooled. אין צייר כאלוקינו. Everything looks real, but we know the truth.