On not Predicting the Future (Rabbi Sacks on Vayechi)
The Office of Rabbi Sacks
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Introduction
Jacob wished to reveal what would happen in the future, but found he could not. This is no minor detail; it's a fundamental feature of Jewish spirituality. We believe that we cannot predict the future when it comes to human beings because we make the future by our choices. Once the Oracle has been spoken and fate has been sealed, all attempts to avoid it are in vain. Astonishingly, given the many centuries of Jewish suffering, biblical Hebrew has no word for tragedy.
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