Rabbi Shulman continues developing the idea of **השגחה אישית** as Hashem’s individualized guidance, framing a person’s life circumstances as tailored tests aligned with their unique spiritual mission (“מזל” in a higher sense). He contrasts this with the Gemara’s “אין מזל לישראל,” explaining that Jews can transcend astrological determinism, while still having a divinely assigned role that shapes their challenges. Rabbi Shulman then introduces a second axis beyond mission: **דין וגמול**—how a person’s deeds generate increased assistance, more opportunities for mitzvot, and even protection from עבירות, while misdeeds can create escalating obstacles that (paradoxically) can later become a source of greater תיקון.

Outline: https://danielggordon.github.io/ateresami/dh-biyun-2-3-34-20260916-130540-outline-20260916-130627.pdf

Rabbi Shulman explains that Hashem intentionally designed avodat Hashem with enormous diversity—across mitzvot, life circumstances, and even moment-to-moment emotional states—so that our relationship with Hashem can be multi-faceted rather than one-dimensional. Each person receives a unique “portion” of the overall spiritual work, and judgment is therefore individualized with exact precision. Rabbi Shulman then connects this to the Ramchal’s model of hishtalshelut: our earthly challenges originate in higher spiritual “roots,” and human bechirah can repair (or damage) those roots, affecting the world below.

Outline: https://danielggordon.github.io/ateresami/dh-biyun-2-3-12-20260901-040550-outline-20260901-040628.pdf

Rabbi Shulman continues studying the Ramchal’s framework of divine justice, distinguishing between deeds that become eternal assets in עולם הבא and deeds that are “cashed out” in this world. He explains a troubling middle category: people who do have a share in eternity, yet many of their מצוות are nevertheless paid out in worldly “trinkets,” leaving them with a diminished eternal stature due to קלקול המעשים. Rabbi Shulman then transitions from the “general axis” (universal bookkeeping) to the “personal axis,” where Hashem’s wisdom creates diverse human circumstances—wealth, poverty, and more—to generate the full range of moral and spiritual tests.

Outline: https://danielggordon.github.io/ateresami/dh-biyun-2-2-83-1-20260825-230536-outline-20260825-230610.pdf