When the seed emerges with the soul it was destined to, Hashem asks the angel in charge of its conception, ‘What shall its fate be?’ The entire fate of the unborn child is determined at this time of the pregnancy. At this time, Hashem decides whether the child will be male or female, healthy or sick, rich or poor, his intellectual and physical capabilities, who his future spouse will be, etc. However, there is one exception to all the facets of this person that is not predestined, whether he will be a tzaddik-righteous person, or rasha- wicked person. With all the tools Hashem has bestowed a person with, it is up to him to decide his final destination.
Yirmeyahu 9:22-23 captures this idea ever so beautifully:
So Hashem says, “Let not the wise man pride himself on his wisdom, nor the mighty man on his might, nor the rich man on his riches, but let him who praises himself take pride in this- that he knows Me than I am Hashem who exercises chesed, justice, and righteousness on earth, for in these things I delight”
In other words, a person should not feel pride in the gifts that he has, such as his intelligence, strength, or money, for all those qualities were given to him by Hashem, and decreed to him before his birth. The only area that he may take pride in is the amount of Torah he has studied and how much he has followed in the ways of Hashem. This should motivate us all to recognize that indeed we may not all be healthy, rich, or talented men; however, we all have the potential to become righteous people full of Torah wisdom and the potential to emulate G-dly behavior. The potential is within us all, it’s just a matter of strengthening ourselves to reach it.
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