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Palestinian Rocket Makes No Death: A Divine Providence In History

Published on Tuesday June 18th, 2019

Divine intervention in history is obvious. All the events that take place in the world are, undoubtedly, influenced by heavenly Providence. However, there are circumstances in the personal history of each individual, or in the general facts of history, where this providential intervention appears more obviously. Just take a traveler, who has arrived at the airport and realizes that he has forgotten his passport, goes home and gets it, comes back to the airport and… misses the plane that has just left!

If this plane falls into the sea, with its 200 passengers, the awareness of the intervention of Hashgacha (providence) is assured! Who would dare to speak of chance here?! It is certainly not by chance that the passport has been forgotten!

Actually, beyond the example presented here, different aspects have to be distinguished in the intervention of the Creator in creation. It is obvious that He, having created the world and the laws of nature, can’t just leave it as it is, and everything depends on His ruling the world.

But, at our human level, we can perceive three levels in the action of Providence: first, there is the miracle, which implies a change in the natural order of things – it is the Exodus from Egypt, the crossing of the Red Sea, the water turning into oil, or the oil provided for one day that lasts eight days.

Second is the coincidence between two facts, which may be considered as happening by chance, but which appear to lead to the same consequence. This is the example mentioned above with the forgotten passport.

This is also what happened a few days ago in Mishmeret, when a Palestinian rocket destroyed two houses, injuring several people, but miraculously, killing no one. If not thanks to this “apparent” coincidence, the consequences could have been much more serious. This is the second level of the miracle.

But there is a third level, even more significant, when nothing happens, and one just has to “read” the facts, and create a relation between them.

This is the case of the events of Purim. Here, there is no “coincidence” between the facts, but the one who knows how to read, can see the consequences of the facts. Thus, Chazal explain the answer of Hashem to Moshe Rabbeinu’s question about the contradiction between the misfortune of the righteous and the happiness of the wicked: “You will see My back, but My face may not be seen.”(Exodus 33.23).

Let us learn to read, to see clearly, beyond what seems natural but in fact is a mystery. This is summarized in the term “Olam” (universe, time), from the root of “Ne’elam” – mysterious. In this theory of the hidden G.d, the notion of the miracle appears.

As has been shown previously, the three levels of the miracle obviously result from the same source: faith in a Creator, whose miracles – unusual appearances – prove to man His existence. The philosopher Rosenzweig thus defines the notion of miracle: “It consists [through the miracle] in reinserting the Revelation itself into the concept of Creation... which links it to the firm hope, in the coming of the ethical realm of the ultimate Redemption.

Thus, if the Palestinian missiles only had a small impact – a clear miracle, it is an element of the Revelation linked to the hope of the coming of the Messianic Kingdom. Chazal (our masters, of blessed memory) explain this idea by the term “Ness” (miracle) which implies something beyond the usual order of the laws of nature (the term “Ness” implies an idea of “going beyond”).

One may be blind and refuse to see the objective facts, but the believer keeps hope, and therefore “sees more clearly”. Can’t we see today the miraculous story of the survival of the Jewish people as a tangible proof of the intervention of an eternal transcendence that goes beyond the instant, and consequently beyond the ephemeral life of a creature? Let us learn to understand and read the facts, let us assert our hope for the forthcoming of the messianic Kingdom.

Rav Lionel COHN - © Torah-Box

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