Recently I seem to hear that sentence everywhere. And I started thinking into it. What does that mean?? It seems obvious…it is what it is. Nothing profound.
But somehow everyone feels they need to make that statement constantly. Why?
So I started to analyze it a bit. It is what it is….that basically is another way of saying “Accept the situation because you cant change it and you cant do much about it”. It is another way of saying “I may not like this situation but I have decided to accept it”.
Truthfully that has some merit to it: a sort of kabolos ol perhaps? But not really…
At the same time it is not a very Jewish attitude. We Jews are from olam hatikun, the world of correction. We do our best to fix things and change whatever is possible to do. We don’t just shrug things off as if we don’t care to bother. We make efforts. We make kelis. Hashem gives blessings.
So I feel that statement is not such a Jewish one. Because it sounds like we are just giving up in life and not trying to see deeper. I prefer to believe that things can be fixed, changed and worked on. “It is what it is” sounds like a defeatist attitude, an attitude lacking in care and motivation. An attitude of apathy. That is not a Torah attitude. We need to have chayus in everything and never feel apathetic. So lets change that sentence to be “It is what Hashem wants it to be and I see the potential good in it” . Let’s work on that potential. Lets pray to Hashem for what we want and need. Let’s think positively because positive thoughts can change things. Let’s accept what Hashem does because we trust in Him totally, because we know whatever is happening is for the best and is intrinsically good…..not because we give up and feel we are hopeless, helpless or frustrated.
Galus is what it is….but only as long as we allow ourselves to have that galus mentality. Once we switch to the geulah mentality galus fades away and no longer is. Every situation can be changed, transformed into something positive. We just have to see it with different eyes. We just have to open our eyes and see, as the Lubavitcher Rebbe said so many times. So it really is NOT what we think it is…..it is what Hashem wants and that is the only reality. But within that reality there is room for improvement, change and prayer.
G-d is what He is. We are simply a creation of G-d. And every situation in life is what G-d wills it to be. And as G-ds partners in creation we need to see the G-dliness in every situation and try to understand what G-d wants from us at each stage of life. That is what reality of life is according to Torah.