Parshios Behar & Bechukosai
Appreciating Miracles
By Rabbi Shlomo Jarcaig
After enumerating the tragic consequences to the Jewish people for
deviating from the Divine will, the Torah offers a consolation. “I will
remember My covenant with Yaakov (Jacob) and also My covenant with
Yitzchak (Isaac), and also My covenant with Avraham will I remember, and I
will remember the land.” (Vayikra/Leviticus 26:42)
Rashi, noting the peculiarity that Yaakov’s name is spelled with an extra
letter vav comments that there are five places in the Bible where Yaakov’s
name is spelled this way. There are also five places where the name of
Eliyahu (Elijah) is written with its vav missing. Rashi explains, “Yaakov
took a letter from the name of Eliyahu as collateral, so that Eliyahu will
come and herald the redemption of Yaakov’s children.” G-d promised His
children redemption; it will happen with or without Eliyahu’s
announcement. Why did Yaakov insist that Eliyahu’s announcement must
herald the redemption?
Ramban (1), addressing why the Torah emphasized the miraculous birth of
Yitzchak when his mother, Sarah, was 90 years old but did not even
directly mention the greater miracle of Yocheved giving birth to Moshe at
the age of 130, expounds that the Torah only emphasizes miracles that were
preceded by prophecies of those events. Rabbi Shimon Schwab (2) explains
that events that defy the laws of nature - what we call “miracles” - are
impossible to identify with absolute certainty since we do not completely
understand all of the laws of nature. Indeed, science often generates
natural explanations for events that were previously thought to be
supernatural. The only way we can be certain that the laws of nature are
indeed being broken is when an event is preceded by a prophecy that the
miracle will take place.
Thus, Yaakov wanted Eliyahu to herald the redemption to guarantee that we
realize that the events are indeed miraculous and not chance.
But the requisite heralding only speaks to our inability to appreciate the
unannounced miracles before us. In reality, Yocheved’s pregnancy at the
age of 130 was more miraculous than Sarah’s. The Talmud advises that in
the post-Messianic era the only holiday that will be celebrated is Purim -
the one holiday that had no open miracle, but was a string of otherwise
logically progressing events that in retrospect were undeniably
miraculous. Finally, a subject of great discussion of the early Talmudic
commentaries regarding the holiday of Chanuka is identifying the true
object of our celebration: the miracle of the oil or the practically
impossible vanquishing of the Greek army. Many conclude that, indeed, the
military victory is the key miracle being celebrated, but that G-d had to
construct the obvious miracle of the oil for us, in our appreciation of
the miraculous nature of the season, to recognize the miracle of that
victory.
Indeed, G-d’s miracles continue to abound. We need only see them.
Have a Good Shabbos!
(1) 1194-1270; acronym for Rabbi Moshe ben Nachman, Nachmanides; native of
Gerona, Spain, he was of the leading scholars of the Middle Ages,
successfully defending Judaism at the famed debate in Barcelona in 1263
(2) 1908-1995; student of the great Mirrer Yeshiva and Rabbi of
congregations in pre-war Germany and Baltimore, he is renowned for his
leadership of the German-Jewish community in Washington Heights, Manhattan
from 1958 through the end of the 20th century
Text Copyright © 2006 by Rabbi Shlomo Jarcaig
and Torah.org.
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