We don’t accept miracles

-


We don’t accept miracles.  Well, that’s not exactly true, of course.  The Torah is full of stories of miracles, and I believe that anyone who has an open mind can see miracles in their own life.  There are many miracles that we can point to in recent Jewish history, but that is for another time.

 

What do I mean by “we don’t accept miracles?”  We don’t accept miracles as proof that someone is speaking for Hashem, and we don’t legislate Halacha (Jewish law) based on miracles.  Well, what about all the miracles Moshe performed, you may ask.  Didn’t we believe in him as G-d’s messenger because of them?  Well, the answer is yes and no.  The miracles caught our attention and the people followed him into the desert, but that was not the ultimate proof that his words are the eternal words of Hashem.

 

As Rambam writes (Mishneh Torah, Yesodei Hatorah 7:1), the way we know that Moshe is truly Hashem’s messenger is because the entire Jewish nation, several million men, women and children at Sinai, my ancestors and yours, heard Hashem say to Moshe “go speak to the people.”  They faithfully transmitted this through the ages from generation to generation, parents to children.  This is a memory that cannot be implanted.  (What I am writing is the tip of the iceberg, but as always I will just stick to a few short points.)

 

It is this belief that has kept Judaism pure and safe from adulteration through the ages.  Moshe, who we know first hand is Hashem’s messenger, warns us in this week’s Parsha (Devarim 13:2-4) that “prophets” will come along and perform miracles, and tell us that the Torah has changed.  Moshe tells us clearly that we should not listen to them and not follow them.  Miracles can happen in many ways, but if they lead us away from Torah, this is, as Moshe says, a test. 

 

The Talmud (Bava Metzia 59b) tells a story about a debate among the Sages about the halachic status of a certain type of oven.  The Torah tells us how we determine the law in a case of debate – by following the majority of the great Sages of the Sanhedrin (supreme court that convened in the Holy Temple).  Rabbi Eliezer disagreed with the majority and performed several miracles to prove his point.  Even though he was a highly esteemed Torah authority, the Halacha was decided against his opinion.  While he was very convincing spiritually, he was not able to logically convince his colleagues of his reasoning, so they had no choice but to override him and ignore the miracles.

 

This has been our answer to every spin off religion that has claimed that they have a new truth that Hashem showed to a prophet.  As Moshe said:  “You shall observe all the Mitzvot that I teach you, do not add to them nor detract from them (Devarim 13:1).”   This includes the Oral Torah which was also transmitted faithfully from Moshe to all the generations, because the written Torah can only be understood properly when accompanied by its original Divinely given explanation, the Oral Torah.

 

We have a rich, beautiful tradition.  The original is real, meaningful, spiritual and life-giving.  As Jews we have always recognized that we don’t need to look elsewhere to outside prophets, miracle makers or revisionists to find truth.  It is right there in the Torah.  It is the pure, fresh water that satiates our souls, our minds and our hearts.  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Breaking Ground

-
Image
“Ma Tovu Ohalecha Yaakov…” – How goodly are your tents, Jacob, your dwelling places, Israel.  These famous words are the evil prophet Bilaam’s reluctant blessing to the Jewish people.  There are several ways to explain his blessing.  He saw how the opening of the tents were placed so as to ensure privacy, and he was moved by the modesty that is one of the hallmarks of the Jewish people.  Another explanation is that he was foreseeing the synagogues and Torah study halls of the future.   I want to venture a guess that he would also be impressed by the way we open our homes to guests.  Hachnasat Orchim – bringing guests into the home –  is a value that we have going back to our forefather Avraham.  It is one of the pillars of the great Mitzvah of Gemilut Chasadim, acts of kindness.  Another crucial part of that Mitzvah is Bikur Cholim – visiting (or caring for) the sick.  How great is it then when both of these Mitzvot are bundled together! I am therefore gratified that this week, the wee
Read more

Sacrifice for Shabbat

-
  One of the things, our Sages said, that helped the Jews in Egypt merit the Exodus from Egypt, was Shabbat observance. This merit will also help bring the redemption from our current exile. In honor of the Parsha Vaera, where we read about the beginning of the process of redemption, I would like to reprint a story that was published today by Rabbi Mordechai Lipskier.  He wrote that he heard the story from Rabbi Moshe Raitport, who heard it first hand. A few years ago, a woman called the Shomrei Hadas Funeral Chapels in Brooklyn to arrange her husband’s funeral. “Before going ahead with the arrangements, I have a request to make. May I tell you a story?” This woman had gotten married in the early 1940s in Brooklyn. It was difficult for a Shabbat observer to hold down a job, so like many other Jews, her husband was pink-slipped from one job after the next. (They would often take a job on Monday, and when they refused to come on Shabbat, they were fired.) Their struggle worsened as the f
Read more

All’s Well That Ends Well

-
  I was in New York for almost a week, for the annual Chabad emissary convention.  The energy was amazing.  The power of unity was palpable, as Rabbis from around the world shared the incredible outpouring of support for Israel that we are experiencing among the entire spectrum of our people.  (Over 1,000 Rabbis joined via live telecast from Israel, because they did not want to leave their posts.)   Together we mourned our brothers and sisters who were so brutally murdered, injured and captured by our enemies.  Together we prayed and resolved to encourage each other and Jews around the world to stand strong and proud, to defy all our enemies and continue to build Judaism and Jewish life.  Together we honored our heroic soldiers who are literally giving their lives to protect our people, and together we committed to support our people in Israel and around the world with all the power that the Rebbe vested in us, as Chabad does.   We heard moving stories about our colleagues’ efforts, wo
Read more