Rabbi Eliezer Melamed
Rabbi Eliezer MelamedCourtesy

Nature and Miracle

Q: Is the world’s functioning according to the laws of nature a fallback, but ideally, the world should be sustained through miracles, like the Exodus from Egypt?

A: Initially, God created the world with wisdom, meaning that it operates according to laws called the laws of nature. Through this, a person understands the rules by which the world operates, and knows that every action he takes has an effect on what will happen to him, and those around him. If he chooses to add good, he will bring good to himself and those around him, and if he chooses evil, he will harm himself, and those around him.

If he learns a profession, he can find work. If he works honestly and diligently, he will earn a good livelihood. If a man honors, loves, and makes his wife happy, and the woman does likewise with her husband, they will have good and happy lives, and will be able to raise and educate their children properly. If a person is good and loyal to his friends, he will have good and supportive companionship. Moreover, if he learns Torah and observes its commandments, he will best express the image of God within him, and be a partner with God in advancing the world toward its rectification and redemption.

Thus, God created nature as the best framework for revealing the power and talents of humanity.

The Flaw in the Governance of Nature, and the Need for a Miracle

However, there is a flaw in the governance of nature: it may cause people to forget God’s Name, and miracles were intended to correct this flaw. The flaw in nature’s governance can be described in three ways:

  1. The laws of nature by which the world operates seem solid and unchanging, as if their power is inherent, and there is no one who created them. When these systems collapse, either through miracles that break the laws of nature, or through the eruption of natural forces, such as lightning and thunder, earthquakes, floods, and fires (see Berakhot 59b), the belief that there is someone who created the world returns to people’s awareness.
  2. Even when a person remembers that there is a Creator of the world, the wisdom and power within the laws of nature may cause him to think that since creation, nature operates on its own, without God continuing to sustain it, and watch over it. In this case, a person must struggle for survival, trapped within the laws of nature and the coarse instincts that govern him, without the ability to change himself, or the world, for the better.
  3. Therefore, God sometimes breaks the boundaries of nature, performs miracles, and teaches humanity that He is the one who sustains the laws of nature, so that through them, He can influence the world with His light and goodness. Through this, a person can understand that his role is to walk in God’s ways, reveal the hidden aspects of the laws of nature, and use them for good. The more he reveals them, the more he will be able to transform the world for the better.
  4. Even righteous people who always remember that God created the world and is its leader, and who constantly engage in charity and justice, may forget that the nature in which they live is not perfect. They become accustomed to the fact that God’s leadership is hidden from the world, and that often it is bad for the righteous, and good for the wicked. Within this framework, they strive to do the best they can according to the guidance of the Torah. Through the miracles performed by those with prophetic powers, which come from a higher world, we are reminded of our longing for rectification, refusing to accept the flaws and corruption, and striving more intensely for the redemption of the world.

The Purpose of Miracles: To Publicize that God Governs the World

It turns out that miracles are meant to reveal and publicize that God is the leader of the entire world, and all human beings should walk in His ways. The meaning of the Hebrew word ‘nes’ (miracle) is both ‘wonder’ and also ‘a flag raised high’. The miraculous nes, or sign, is like a flag that rises and soars to great heights, so that it can be seen from afar, and by it, people will know that God is the leader of the world, and that all power is in His hands.

As it is written: “You gave a banner (nes) to those who fear You, to be displayed because of the truth” (Psalms 60:5), meaning that God gave a banner to His faithful to affirm and beautify His words. Similarly, the Hebrew word ‘ot’ (sign) also means a miraculous token, as it is written: “And you shall take this rod in your hand, with which you shall perform the signs (otot)” (Exodus 4:17). The sign is a symbol of God’s overall leadership of the world.

The Miracles of the Exodus from Egypt, and the Giving of the Torah

Above and beyond all miracles, there are two great miracles by which God revealed Himself to the world, and through which the world exists: the Exodus from Egypt, and the Giving of the Torah. Even if a person tried with all his might to contemplate the divine light hidden in the laws of nature, without the miraculous revelation of the Giving of the Torah, he would not receive clear divine guidance on faith and the way to rectify humanity and the world, and would lose his way in the maze of his troubles and aspirations. Similarly, God’s choice of the People of Israel to reveal His word to the world is the foundation for the acceptance of the Torah, and in the Exodus from Egypt, this choice was revealed.

Therefore, the choice of Israel and the Giving of the Torah were accompanied by signs and wonders, so that all would know that their matter takes precedence over all the matters of the world governed by the laws of nature, and through them, God’s power and leadership are revealed in the world. This is what our Sages meant when they said that God could have brought Israel out with one stroke, or even through natural means, but to reveal to the world His greatness and might, which no power can withstand, He struck the Egyptians with ten plagues, until they surrendered, and sent Israel out to freedom.

As it is written: “And I will multiply My signs and wonders in the land of Egypt” (Exodus 7:3), and it is written: “And in order that you may tell in the hearing of your son, and of your son’s son, how I made a mockery of Egypt and My signs which I placed among them, and you shall know that I am the Lord” (Exodus 10:2). Therefore, we were commanded to remember the Exodus from Egypt every day, during the holidays, and on the mezuzot and tefillin, so that we would recall all the foundational aspects of faith revealed through the miracles God performed in the Exodus from Egypt (Ramban, Exodus 13:16).

Similarly, the Giving of the Torah took place with an extraordinary, miraculous revelation before all of Israel, so that they would believe in God, and accept the Torah, as it is written: “Ask now concerning the days that are past… Did anything so great ever happen, or was anything like it ever heard of? Did a people ever hear the voice of God speaking out of the fire, as you have heard, and live?” (Deuteronomy 4:32-33).

Transition to Governance through Natural Means

In general, from the time Israel entered the Land, miracles ceased for Israel. The manna stopped falling from the heavens, and Israel was required to obtain their sustenance through natural means: plowing and sowing, planting and pruning, in order to grow the sacred fruits of the Land by their own hands and separate tithes and offerings, and to designate years for the Sabbatical and Jubilee cycles. Through this, they were able to fulfill the commandment of Yishuv Ha’aretz (settling the Land), which is equivalent to all the other commandments in the Torah.

Also, the conquest of the Land was, in general, carried out through natural means. At the start of the campaign, God performed great miracles for Israel, to reveal to them, and to all the world, that Israel was entering the Land and conquering it in accordance with God’s command. Therefore, He split the Jordan River before them, brought down the walls of Jericho, and made the sun stand still at Gibeon, until Israel had defeated the five kings of the Amorites. However, after this, they were required to strengthen themselves in the commandment, and conquer the Land through natural means. Where they faltered, God did not help them.

Like a Person Growing from Childhood to Maturity

Just like a person, who, in his childhood, is cared for by his parents for all his needs, and as he grows, becomes responsible for his own life and needs to take care of his own livelihood, so it is with the People of Israel. In the first stage, God took care of all their needs as a mother cares for her nursing child, and as they grew and matured, the responsibility passed to them, so that they themselves would reveal God’s word to the world, through the course of their lives (Ein Ayah, Berakhot 1:147).

The great miracles were performed to teach God’s governance, but the ultimate purpose was that Israel would live in the Land of Israel, and through observing the Torah and commandments, reveal God’s word within nature, making it overflow with God’s blessing. This was where the Spies sinned, fearing to accept responsibility for conquering the Land through natural means.

Miracles in Times of Crisis

When Israel chooses good, blessing flows naturally, as we learn in the Torah that when we walk in God’s laws, we receive natural blessings. However, when Israel sins and their strength wanes, they need miracles to remind them that God is the leader of the world, and to give them a respite to return to repentance.

This occurred in the Kingdom of Israel when, on the brink of its destruction, the prophets Elijah and Elisha performed great miracles, and gave Israel time to return, to repent. But since they did not repent, the Kingdom of Israel was destroyed, and the Ten Tribes were exiled. Still, there was value in the appearance of miracles, because even though they did not prevent the destruction, they taught Israel for generations that God governs the world, and out of His love for them, He sent His prophets to try to save them, and when they return in repentance, they will be redeemed.

Redemption Depends on Fulfilling the Commandment of Settling the Land

Understanding the value of working through natural means is important for our time, as redemption depends on fulfilling the commandment of Yishuv Ha’aretz (settling the Land), which is carried out through natural means, by Jews who ascend to the Land, settle it, establish a state and an army to protect the people and the Land, and rebuild the Holy Temple. However, our Sages hinted (Sanhedrin 97b) that if Israel does not return to repentance, then, contrary to the natural course, God will raise up a king for us whose decrees will be as harsh as Haman’s, so that through the suffering, we will return through repentance, ascend to the Land, and settle it through natural means.

The stronger we become in the commandment through natural means, the more successful we will be, and if we do not strengthen ourselves, we will continue to progress through suffering.

Objection to Prayer on the Temple Mount

Q: I heard from a certain rabbi… who is an esteemed rabbi, that he opposed those who ascend the Temple Mount to pray there, claiming, among other things, that they are violating the words of the Sages: “Rav Kahana said: It is brazen for someone to pray in an open space” (Berakhot 34b). That is, someone who prays in an open place is considered brazen, because prayer should take place in private.


A: It is surprising that this rabbi did not examine the Tosafot there (ad loc., “chatzif“), which ask why Isaac prayed in the field, and they answer in the first explanation that he prayed on Mount Moriah, which is a holy place. That is, in the holy and special place where there is a connection between Israel and God, one can pray in the open. The words of the Tosafot have been cited in many books.

This article appears in the ‘Besheva’ newspaper and was translated from Hebrew.

Revivim, rabbi Eliezer Melamed