Feeling Stuck in Life? Discover the Secret to Breaking Free from Fate

There are periods in life when we long for something to happen, but it doesn’t. Perhaps we want to get married, but the right match hasn’t come, or we want children, but it’s taking time. Maybe we have children, but we’re facing challenges. Our health isn’t ideal, or our livelihood is unstable… In such times, when we yearn for salvation, we crave some kind of Divine light, a message from above to give us strength.

Of course, we can’t receive a phone call from Heaven, but God does speak to us through the holy Torah.

The Torah isn’t a history book telling stories from the early days of the Jewish nation, but it is a living book that speaks directly to us. In Parshat Lech Lecha, God sends us a powerful message for every moment that we feel like our luck is blocked.

The Lesson from Abraham

In Parshat Lech Lecha, Abraham tells God that he remains childless and that his servant Eliezer will inherit him. Abraham, who was a renowned astrologer, had deep knowledge of the stars and constellations. He saw in his chart that he was not destined to have children — according to nature, it simply wasn’t going to happen.

God responds with something remarkable: “And He brought him outside and said, ‘Look now toward the heavens and count the stars—if you can count them.’ And He said to him, ‘So shall your offspring be.’” (Genesis 15:5)

Rabbeinu Bachya explains this verse: “Our Talmudic sages taught that God took Abraham outside the natural order.” The phrase “He brought him outside” means He told him: Step out of your astrological predictions. “Look toward the heavens” — the word look implies a view from above. According to the Midrash, God elevated Abraham above the stars, so that they were beneath his feet.

From this our sages learned: There is no “mazal” (astrological fate) for Israel — we are not bound by the stars.

Rashi echoes this: “Go out from your astrology — you saw in the stars that you are not destined to have a son.” The Talmud (Shabbat 156a) records God’s words to Abraham: “Step away from your astrology. There is no mazal for Israel.”

What Is God Telling Abraham — and Us?

God reveals to Abraham that he and his descendants will live under a different system: not the rule of the stars, but a Divine system above nature.

The Malbim explains: “God revealed to Abraham that he and his descendants are not subject to the forces of the stars and constellations. While the cosmic systems govern the physical world, Abraham is lifted out of that system and placed under Divine providence.”

We are all born with a particular mazal (astrological influence), which can affect various areas of life. However, a Jew can choose to live on a higher plane, beyond mazal, beyond nature.

How Do We Rise Above Nature?

When we rise above our own nature, God leads us beyond the laws of nature.

Every mitzvah is an act that elevates us above our natural instincts — whether it’s giving charity, keeping kosher, observing Shabbat, letting go of ego in favor of kindness, working on our character, or fulfilling any of the Torah’s commandments. Our natural tendency is to follow our own will and to do whatever we feel like, but when we go beyond that, and overcome our impulses and follow God’s will, we are lifted into a higher, supernatural system.

Acts of spiritual growth including repentance, prayer, mitzvot, and good deeds, can literally shift us out of a fate-driven world governed by nature and place us in a realm of Divine providence. There, we are not bound by the stars. There, we can nullify harsh decrees and receive miracles.

The next time life feels stuck, remember the message of Parshat Lech Lecha. When we act beyond nature, we live beyond nature. That is where salvation begins.