Va’era – Ordinary is Miraculous

By Rabbi Ezra Friedman

A wise man once said, “Anyone who doesn’t believe in Miracles is not a realist”. The idea of miracles is an important theme throughout Sefer Shemot. In almost all cultures and religions, miracles are a basic tenet of religious faith and religious history. Miracles come to teach us that everything is in Hashem’s hands and he can do what he wishes with anything in our world.

The Ramban claims that there are additional lessons that we can learn from miracles. The ten plagues and the splitting of the sea, which occurred when Am Yisrael left Egypt, are meant to teach both non-Jews and Jews alike. Non-Jews can learn from these miracles that Hashem has the power to control his world and has never left it. He continues to watch over every human being. The Jews can learn that miracles are a reminder that we are Hashem’s chosen nation and that we have eternal responsibilities and obligations to Hashem. The Ramban and many other commentators say that nature is no less miraculous than the splitting of the sea. The laws by which Hashem decided to run his world are breathtaking when we look at them in depth. Doctors who study human anatomy and scientists studying biology are often intrigued by and amazed at the way nature functions. We must realize that nature is no less of proof of Hashem’s existence than miracles. The Rambam in his book of laws the “Mishnei Torah” claims that nature is beautiful and inspiring and that if Jews examine it in the right way, it can be a tool for performing the commandment of Loving Hashem.

If this is true, how is it that not everyone is as amazed by nature as they are with miracles? Rav Eliyahu Dessler writes simply that we are so used to nature that is all around us and therefore we take the laws of nature for granted. Rav Dessler gives a beautiful analogy. If a person were to see a farmer put a seed in the ground and instead of a tree growing, he would witness a person growing from the ground, wouldn’t he be stunned and amazed? Isn’t it just as incredible when a towering oak tree grows from a seed smaller than the palm of our hands? Some scientific scholars and extremely religious (non-Jewish) clergy ironically have the exact same perspective on nature. They both believe that a miracle has occurred only when the laws of nature are bent. Some scientists see nature as a set of rules with no outside basis and no deep meaning, Hashem doesn’t exist in science. Some religions as well, are always expecting a miracle and are not satisfied with seeing Hashem’s greatness in nature. The Jewish perspective believes that both nature and miracles are a sign of Hashem’s presence and power. This perspective can be learned from this week’s Parsha.

In the beginning of Sefer Shemot, Moshe Rabeinu sees the burning bush and Hashem calls upon him to lead Am Yisrael out of Egypt. During this encounter, Hashem performs two miracles. In the first, Moshe throws his rod and it turns into a snake, and in the second, Moshe’s arm becomes infected with leprosy. Hashem then returns both the rod and Moshe’s arm back to their previous states. The same thing occurs with the splitting of the sea. The Torah states that after the miracle, the sea returned to its natural position. When Pharaoh’s sorcerers performed miracles, the result was different. When the sorcerers imitated the miracles performed by Moshe in the first two plagues and turned the waters of the Nile into blood and infested Egypt with frogs, there is no mention of conditions returning to their natural states.

Rav Tzvi Yehuda Hacohen Kook teaches that this point is not a trivial one. The fact that the sorcerers did not reverse their miracles comes to teach us a life lesson. In Egyptian culture, miracles contradict nature. Egyptians don’t view nature as miraculous. On the contrary, they see nature on a very superficial level, and therefore they don’t see Hashem’s greatness in nature. Jews, however, grasp that nature and miracles are the same; that ordinary is miraculous. We must surely be amazed and draw inspiration from nature to the same extent as with mind boggling miracles. The Torah teaches that Hashem tried to instill this virtue in the Egyptians. When Aharon and Pharoah’s sorcerers competed about who had more power, the verse says (Shemot 7,12):
וַיַּשְׁלִ֙יכוּ֙ אִ֣ישׁ מַטֵּ֔הוּ וַיִּהְי֖וּ לְתַנִּינִ֑ם וַיִּבְלַ֥ע מַטֵּֽה־אַהֲרֹ֖ן אֶת־מַטֹּתָֽם׃

Each cast down his rod, and they turned into serpents. But Aaron’s rod swallowed their rods.

The verse first describes Aharon’s rod turning into a snake, but when it describes the swallowing of the sorcerers’ snakes, the Torah uses the term “rod”. The Gemara in Tractate Shabbat (97A) explains that the verse is telling the reader that two miracles occurred. The first miracle was that Aharon’s rod turned into a snake, but the even greater miracle was when it turned back into a rod, that rod miraculously swallowed up the Egyptians’ snakes. This double miracle was attempting to teach the Egyptians that in order to prove Hashem’s abilities there was no need to experience nature-defying miracles. Rather, nature itself defies human understanding.

Judaism sees the entire world as filled with Hashem’s glory. If we can internalize this important lesson then all aspects of life are infused with holiness. Science, engineering, math and agriculture, for example, are all ways in which Hashem shows us his greatness. We should not take these things for granted. We, as Jews, must use our skills in these areas to glorify Hashem’s name and use them for the right purposes. Whether it be medical research or political science, the understanding that these endeavors can be holy is essential in our day and age. So when in doubt, sit back and bask in nature, for the ordinary is always miraculous.
deals. Our fences must always stay firm and strong.