I'm sitting on a plane about to take off for the West Coast for a wedding. It's time to write my weekly email. I'm not inspired specifically by any teaching this week and so I'm at a loss.

A friend texts me. "How are you doc? Been too long. Coffee tomorrow?"

Me. "Taking off for LA, I return next week. How you?"

Him: "Good. Ok - safe trip and let’s schmooze when you are back!"

My friend texting me: "btw - I think you are sitting right behind one of my very close friends".

My friend knew that his friend from college was heading to LA and he mentioned to him that his rabbi might be on his plane. He says to his friend, I think I'm sitting in front of him. (I'm hard to miss :-)).

I look up, the friend turns around, a smile, a laugh and handshake.

Now I have a weekly email!

The likelihood of this encounter is fairly slim in the scheme of things. *See ChatGPT's analysis below.

It's tough days for our People. Unanchored and unmoored is a sure recipe for depression and negativity. Knowing that there is a G-d above who orchestrates the small things is a comfort.

If the small things are orchestrated, the big things surely are too. There is a Master Plan. Our job is to wake up each morning, put on our positive faces, dig deep into our souls and show up in a way that makes this world just a drop brighter today.

Put a smile on, Good Shabbos

*The likelihood of meeting a friend of a friend on a plane from Atlanta to Los Angeles depends on several factors, including the size of your social network, the number of mutual friends, the frequency of flights, and the number of passengers typically on these flights. Here's a way to break down the probabilities:

1. **Social Network Size**: - Suppose you have 150 friends on average, and each of these friends has 150 friends (excluding overlap), resulting in a friend-of-a-friend network size of approximately \( 150 \times 150 = 22,500 \) people.

2. **Population of Atlanta**: - The population of the Atlanta metropolitan area is around 6 million people.

3. **Number of Flights and Passengers**: - There are several daily flights from Atlanta to Los Angeles. Let's estimate there are 10 flights per day with an average of 200 passengers per flight, totaling 2,000 passengers traveling this route each day.

4. **Probability Calculation**: - To find the probability of a random passenger being within your friend-of-a-friend network, divide the size of your friend-of-a-friend network by the population of Atlanta: \( \frac{22,500}{6,000,000} = 0.00375 \).

- Next, consider the number of passengers on your flight: 200. - The expected number of your friend-of-a-friend network members on your flight is \( 200 \times 0.00375 = 0.75 \).

Therefore, on average, there is less than one (0.75) friend-of-a-friend expected to be on your flight. While this number is below 1, suggesting it's not very likely, it's not implausible either, especially given the interconnected nature of social networks and the possibility of frequent flyers or popular routes increasing chances. Social factors, such as common travel habits within certain friend groups, could also slightly increase these odds.

In summary, while it's not highly likely, there's a non-negligible chance that you might meet a friend of a friend on a flight from Atlanta to Los Angeles.