Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz was asked, “Do you believe in soulmates?”
He said, “It’s quite true that God decides before we’re born who the right spouse is for us, but it is not necessarily true that God decides such a couple will be happy.”
Some couples may be happy together every day of their lives. Others may have to work at it. But happiness is not the measure of “rightness.”
The real question is what do they produce together? Do their children benefit the world? Does their work benefit the world? If yes, then they may indeed be soulmates.
Image: Chinstrap penguin parents and chicks in Antarctica, by Myheimu via Flickr
Originally published on Facebook
Get the best of Accidental Talmudist in your inbox: sign up for our monthly newsletter.