Why Don't I See Miracles?

 Did any miracles happen to me today?  Did water gush out of a dry rock?  Was I protected by the heat of the day by clouds that surrounded me on all sides?  (Well, if you live outside S. Francisco.  Maybe they are closer to Hashem there?  Somehow that doesn’t resonate.)  Did I wake up in the morning and find bread ready to eat that tastes like anything I want it to?  Well, why don’t miracles happen today?

I want to suggest that many miracles happened today.  The difference between what happens today and the above miracles that happened for 40 years while the Jewish people traveled in the desert is only that it was much harder in those days to not see that it is all directly from Hashem.  (And even then the Jews sometimes kvetched – “we want meat,” etc.)  

When Miriam died, the well that had miraculously traveled with the Jews in the desert and provided them with an abundance of water dried up.  This was because it was in her merit that the miracle occurred.  Moshe hit the rock (he was supposed to talk to it, but that’s another story) and water poured forth again in his merit.  Clear, incontestable miracles.  

By the way, you probably know that in Brooklyn, the preferred drink was always seltzer.  I heard recently from a Brooklynite that the reason Moshe hit the rock twice was because the first hit brought water, the second added the bubbles.  

When Aharon died, the miraculous protective clouds that had surrounded the nation during his lifetime, in his merit left, and the Amalakites, disguised as Canaanites, saw an opportunity and went to war with us again.  Another clear, incontestable miracle had been seen up until that time.  The Manna from heaven in the merit of Moshe was also a clear miracle.  

That was in the desert, when the Jewish nation was being formed and during that time they were removed from earthly pursuits.  Then the time came for us to move into the land of Israel and start working the land.  The ultimate purpose of spiritual growth is to use it to transform the world.  If miracles happened in front of our eyes daily, we would be focusing on the spiritual and not want to “lower ourselves” and deal with material things.  

So now Hashem hid Himself behind the facade of nature.  This way, when we think about Hashem, it is a conscious choice.  Nevertheless, the world is no less miraculous, it just is not visible to us.  The creation and birth of a baby is a miracle.  The growth of a blade of grass, the rising and setting of the sun, the fact that I made it through the day, that food on my table, these are all gifts from Hashem.  But I don’t necessarily see it that way, because it hides behind the laws of nature.  This is a big topic that requires a lot more discussion, but as usual I am keeping it brief.  

I heard a story about a father who was teaching his son about Divine Providence, and that everything that seems natural around us is actually Hashem orchestrating the events.  He pointed to a red convertible stopped next to them at the red light and used that as an example.  The son asked what miracle that was.  His father said: exactly, this ordinary day-to-day event is Divine Providence in action.  The fact that our two cars are next to each other is designed by Hashem, and is part of His master plan for the universe.  Occasionally we get to see it, when Hashem’s glory peeks through the facade, but most of the time it just appears like a natural event.  

If we each look back over the past few weeks or months of our lives with an open heart and mind, we will without question see things that happen that point to the Hand of Hashem.  Try it.  Let go of skepticism for a few minutes and see if it is not true.