The Baal Shem Tov taught that each and every one of us will go through forty-two stages in our lives corresponding to the forty-two travels of the Jews in the wilderness.

Does this mean that our biography is already written? Is everything "pre-scripted"? Also, some of the incidents in the wilderness were disasters where our forefathers made terrible choices. Does that mean we're fated to make these same choices?

Based on a farbrengen from Mattos-Masei 5719.