interesting midrash. I wonder though about the cases where obesity actually leads to bad health problems, heart attacks, etc. In those instances, it would seem to me that a person does have bechirah.
Tzinim u’pachim. (Also, R’ Naftali Ropshitzer used to say that he
didn’t see why people had to go so far in fulfilling Hashem’s
decree that they be foolish…)
On the other hand, notice the word “????”. That could change the whole message of the medrash to mean that HaShem will help a person overcome just about any of those traits.
The statement is “that matter (yir’as shomayim) is given into the hands of man alone (????).” Had the previous matters been stated to be under Hashem’s control, and then something was said to be in His control ????, you could infer that humans could possibly mix into the others. As it stands, I don’t see this message of yours anywhere.
Besides, being short or ugly is not something people were
meant to overcome (although they have been trying recently).
But, ultimately one’s reputation is earned, not divinely granted.
Reputation isn’t mentioned at all in that quotation.