Bashert means “destined” or “intended.” It thus has several main meanings:

  1. Bashert means predestined by G‑d: An event, set of circumstances, or situation can all be referred to as bashert, implying that whatever happens was orchestrated by G‑d, who ultimately has our best interests in mind.
  2. Bashert can refer to one’s soulmate: If even a leaf falling from a tree is bashert, then whom we marry is most certainly determined from Above. Indeed, the Talmud tells us that 40 days before a fetus is formed, a heavenly echo declares whom it is intended to marry.

So, for example, a smitten bride might say: “When he told me that he adores gefilte fish on Shabbat, I just knew that we had lots in common. But when we discovered that we both learned Torah on Chabad.org daily, I knew that he was my bashert.”

In Yiddish, a fiancé is referred to as a basherter, and a fiancée a basherte.

Did you enjoy learning about bashert on our page? It must have been bashert.