Do Jews Believe in Luck?

Dear Jew in the City,

For St. Patrick’s Day, we learn about the “luck of the Irish.” Do Jews believe in luck?

Best,

Marsha

Dear Marsha,

Thanks for your question. Before I answer, let tell you about the expression “luck of the Irish,” because it doesn’t mean what people think it means.

It may not be the case so much now, but in previous generations, the Irish were discriminated against just like Jews and people of color. The British looked down on them, which made its way to the U.S., and religious differences made people wary. The stereotype was that they were lazy, prone to anger, and excessive drinkers. Businesses that were hiring would hang signs saying “Irish need not apply.” So, when an Irish immigrant would strike it big, particularly in the mining industry, haters would refuse to attribute his success to hard work, talent or intelligence. Rather, they attributed it to pure luck.

Like the canard that Jews control the media, “luck of the Irish” sounds like something that should be good but was not historically intended as a compliment. Not being Irish, I couldn’t tell you if a modern person of Irish descent would be offended by use of the expression, but I think it’s wise to let you know where the saying comes from.

That being said, I would have to say that no, Judaism doesn’t believe in luck. Luck means that things happen by random chance. We don’t believe in that. Rather, we believe in hashgacha (God’s providence) and hishtadlus (human effort). I won’t have too many sources about luck per se because we don’t have a lot of sources about things we don’t believe in. (You similarly won’t find a lot of traditional literature on Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy or mermaids.)

You might disagree with me, saying, “Doesn’t mazel mean luck in Hebrew?” Kind of. When we say, “He has no mazel,” that means, “He has no luck,” but it’s just a colloquialism, not a statement of theological import. And when we say “mazel tov,” that doesn’t mean “good luck,” it means “congratulations.” You would say “mazel tov” when someone wins the lottery, not when they buy the ticket. (If you told someone that you bought a lottery ticket and they said “mazel tov,” you would probably take that as sarcasm, along the lines of them saying “Good for you.”)

What “mazel” really means is a constellation, specifically a sign of the Zodiac. For example, Pisces in Hebrew is called “mazel dagim,” the sign of the fish. And the Gemara teaches us (Shabbos 156a) that ein mazel l’Yisroel (there is no “mazel” for the Jews). This doesn’t mean that the Jews have no luck (though sometimes we may feel as if that’s case), it means that the Jews aren’t subject to control by the stars. As Rashi there explains, by davening to Hashem and earning merits, we can change our fates. So, we’re not subject to capricious whims of the universe. Rather, we’re ultimately the masters of our own destinies. This is derived from a verse in Jeremiah (10:2), “Thus says Hashem: Don’t learn the way of the nations and don’t be dismayed by the signs of the Heavens….”

The Talmud also teaches (Chulin 7b) that a person doesn’t even prick his finger unless it was decreed in Heaven. This is likewise derived from several Biblical verses, including Psalms 37:23, “The steps of a person are established by Hashem.” (This verse is also the source of one of the brachos we recite each morning, so the Talmud’s explanation might be a good intention to have in mind while reciting that blessing!)

I’m answering this question on a Saturday night. Just this morning, I attended a Chumash shiur on parshas Zachor, delivered by Rabbi Chaim Bronstein. The pasuk (Deut. 25:18) says asher karcha baderech, that the nation of Amalek encountered the Jews on the road. Rashi explains that the word karcha is lashon mikreh – a language of happenstance.

Among Rabbi Bronstein’s sources was a sefer called Limudei Nissan by Rav Nissan Alpert (d. 1986). On this Rashi, Rav Alpert says that “a language of happenstance” means that Amalek undermined the Jews’ faith by making them think that things “just happen.” Rather, we must realize that everything that happens is part of God’s plan.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the opinion of the Rambam. He maintains that God’s providence only extends to human beings individually, and to animal species collectively. However, if the wind blows a leaf off of a tree or a spider eats a fly, God didn’t decree that that particular leaf had to fall or that particular fly had to be eaten (Guide III, 17). Those things can be the result of happenstance (or “luck”), but being a human being, they won’t affect what happens to you.

Einstein famously said that he refuses to accept that God plays dice with the universe. While the intention of Einstein’s statement (like “luck of the Irish”) is widely misunderstood, the sentiment is one with which traditional Jewish thought would generally agree.

Sincerely yours,

Rabbi Jack Abramowitz, JITC Educational Correspondent

Educational Correspondent
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