Parashat Beshalach, Exodus 13:17-17:16

This parashah has been generously sponsored by Karen Gold, in loving memory of Melvin Gold.

We have a different understanding of miracles than did our ancestors.

Why aren't there any miracles in our day? Although this question is often asked in our day, it already appears in the Talmud (Berachot 20a). The desire for miracles is deeply ingrained within us. Perhaps if we experienced a miracle, that nagging doubt would turn into to unshakable faith.

By that standard, our ancestors had an easier time of it. The book of Exodus so far has been one miracle after another: the burning bush, the ten plagues, the Exodus from Egypt and this week's parting of yam suf, the Sea of Reeds. So many miracles! Yet despite all that God did for our ancestors, belief was hard to come by. Even as our ancestors approached the Sea of Reeds, midrash reminds us that they were reluctant to "test the waters." It was only after one brave soul, Nachshon son of Aminadav, literally took the plunge that the sea parted. The euphoria following this redemption was deeply felt:

Who is like You, O Lord, among the celestials;
Who is like You, majestic in holiness,
Awesome in splendor, working wonders!

Exodus 15:11

Shirat Ha-yam, the Song at the Sea praising God for redeeming us, is such an important symbol of our relationship with God that it is included in our daily liturgy. But our ancestors' memory was short. By the end of the same chapter in Exodus (15:24), they are complaining about the lack of water, and in the following chapter they long for the fleshpots of Egypt (Exodus 16:3). God provides food and drink, as well as constant reminders of the miracles they had experienced, but our ancestors' attitude does not change. Could it be that too many miracles become ordinary?

Perhaps that is why the rabbis in the Talmud warn against relying on miracles. Rabbi Yannai cautions in Shabbat 32a not to remain in a dangerous place, hoping for a miraculous rescue. In fact, such a hope could count against you! In Bava Metzia 59b, the Talmudic rabbis, in what should be considered the definition of chutzpah, ignore a series of miracles:

In the whole of rabbinic literature there is not one single instance on record that a rabbi was ever asked by his colleagues to demonstrate the soundness of his doctrine, or the truth of a disputed halakhic case, by performing a miracle. Only once do we hear of a rabbi who had recourse to miracles for the purpose of showing that his conception of a certain halakhah was a right one. And in this solitary instance the majority declined to accept the miraculous intervention as a demonstration of truth and decided against the rabbi who appealed to it.

Solomon Schechter, Aspects of Rabbinic Theology

If, alas, by Rabbinic times the age of miracles had passed, what hope is there for us? Not only are we far removed from miracles, we have a different understanding of miracles than did our ancestors. Other than a prophetic calling, such as what happened to Moses at the burning bush, miracles were public events, not something that happens to one person, the knowledge of which is disseminated through the tabloid at the supermarket checkout.

How times have changed! Modern miracles, or events we like to term miracles, are very personal in nature, a one-on-one between moi and you-know-Who. Perhaps this is a reflection of our society, where individualism permeates everything. Why should religious belief be any different?

The individual is important in Judaism specifically because we don't rely on miracles. Every person has the opportunity to make a difference. God has provided us with that most wonderful gift: free will. It comes with a few bonus features such as independence, self-reliance, responsibility and an assortment of personal attributes. Exercising these various elements empowers us to interact with the world that God has created. Some of our medieval philosophers, Maimonides for example, believed that our scientific analysis of the world around us would lead us to a greater understanding of God. Today, there are those who would say that such knowledge has actually destroyed our sense of wonder. Nothing is miraculous because we can analyze pretty much everything and even create things that were unimaginable just a few short years ago. There are no more miracles because everything can be stamped "man-made."

Still, we also have another interpretation of the miraculous, best exemplified by a popular song performed by Sarah McLachlin:

It's not that unusual
When everything is beautiful
It's just another
Ordinary miracle today

The sky knows when it's time to snow
Don't need to teach a seed to grow
It's just another
Ordinary miracle today…

Glen Ballard and Dave Stewart, Ordinary Miracle

The concept of an ordinary miracle is found within Judaism. Perhaps these songwriters were channeling the Baal Shem Tov who reportedly said "The world is full of wonders and miracles, but we take our little hands and we cover our eyes and see nothing."

The wonders and miracles mentioned by the Hasidic master are not the special effects of biblical times. Rather, they are the result of increased sensitivity to that which surrounds us that is beyond our control.

The most beautiful and deepest experience one can have is the sense of the mysterious... To sense that behind anything that can be experienced there is a something that our mind cannot grasp and whose beauty and sublimity reaches us only indirectly and as a feeble reflection, this is religiousness. In this sense I am religious.

Albert Einstein

I do not know if Einstein was referring to the mysteries of the universe that can only be perceived by the greatest minds —such as his or Maimonides'. I do know that we can all sensitize ourselves to the myriad mysteries that surround us everyday, those so-called ordinary miracles. In the daily service we thank God for the "miracles that are with us each day and for the wonders and goodness at all times…" Tradition teaches us that we should say 100 blessings every day, affording us the chance to do so whenever and wherever holiness touches us on a daily basis. All we need to do is be open to the opportunities for wonder around us.

Teach me, my God, blessing and prayer —
for the secret of the withered leaf, the brightness of the ripened fruit,
for this freedom to see, to sense, to breathe,
to know, to wish, to fail.

Teach my lips a blessing, a song of praise
in renewal of your day, each morning and eve.
That my today not be like all my yesterdays;
that my day not be — merely routine.

Leah Goldberg (translation: Rabbi Ronald Aigen, Siddur Hadesh Yameinu)

Miracles may be a thing of the past but an appreciation of God's wonder and mystery is always within our reach.

Shabbat Shalom,
MS