It's Only Natural a Myth Debunked

The World of Lubavitch A publication of Chabad-Lubavitch, Toronto SPRING 2014 Vol. 39 No. 1 (141) PESACH 5774 It’s Only Natural A Myth Debunked By Yanki Tauber Pundits love generalizations. Half the world is this, the other half is that, and that explains just about everything. Here, then, is our own generalization: the world consists of pagans and transcendentalists. Pagans eat, drink and sleep; transcendentalists work for world peace. Pagans believe that the way things are is the way things should be; transcendentalists believe that we were placed on this earth to change the way things are. Pagans worship nature; transcendentalists worship G-d. The Egyptians were pagans, the Hebrews were transcendentalists. The Hebrews were slaves to the Egyptians; then G-d intervened, humiliated the Egyptians, freed the Hebrews and set them loose upon the world. This, in 30 words (more or less), is the story of the birth of the Jewish people. Thus we read of ten plagues visited upon the Egyp- tians. These are usually understood as punishments for their cruel treatment of the Jews. But a closer reading of the Torah’s account reveals that they also served a more basic function: to discredit the gods of Egypt so that “you shall know that I am G-d.” The Nile -- Egypt’s source of sustenance and most revered deity -- turns to blood; the soil turns to ver- min, the skies rain a lethal deluge of fire and ice, the light of day turns to inky blackness. Nature is transformed from a nurturing mother into a capri- Twins From France to Perform cious witch. Taking the Jews out of Egypt would not have at Lag B’Omer, achieved anything if the Jews had taken Egypt along with them when they went. So first the Jews Great Jewish Family Festival had to witness the destruction of Egypt’s gods: they The popular Twins From time and again. They can be had to hear their masters renounce the natural order France, brothers Yisroel identified by any 5 year old they had deified; they had to see the “goodness” of and Moshe Gurion, will be by their trademark plaid hats performing at this year’s Lag with long payos at the sides. nature exposed for the sham that it is. B’Omer Family Festival. The As a result of their numerous city wide celebration will be videos and card games, they are Only when the paganism of Egypt had been up- held once again at Earl Bales forever being watched on iPads rooted from their hearts, could the Children of Isra- Park on Sunday May 18th 2014. all over the world allowing el proceed to Mount Sinai to receive their mandate Their performance will take mothers to prepare for Shabbat as “A light unto the nations.” Only then could they place at the noon hour rally in etc. They are self-taught and the Zukerman Amphitheatre. very talented and on the cutting teach the world that nature is not to be worshipped, The performance of these edge so always remind your but improved upon; that the way things are is to be versatile acrobats is truly children, “Don’t try this at supplanted with the way things ought to be. amazing. They continue to their show to keep the audience home!” innovate and have perfected spellbound and coming back Continued on page 3 Page 2 • World of Lubavitch • Spring 2014 THE ANATOMY OF A MIRACLE After describing how the It therefore follows that if Red Sea split to allow the Chil- G-d decides to “uncreate” dren of Israel to pass through something, it is retroactive- its divided waters, the Torah ly divested of its entire (i.e., relates: Understanding the Miracle past as well as future) being. Moses stretched forth his Hence, the term which the hand over the sea; and the sea Midrash reads into the verse is returned to its strength at the of the Splitting of the Sea “stipulation.” The closest anal- turning of the morning... ogy in human terms to the sea’s Noting that the Hebrew state of existence (and that of word l’eitano (“to its strength”) the entire created reality) is that is comprised of the same let- of a conditional legal agree- ters as the word litna’o (“to its ment. If the condition is not stipulation”), the Midrash says: fulfilled, it is not that the agree- On the third day of cre- ment suddenly terminates, but ation, when G-d made the dry rather that this establishes that land emerge from the waters the agreement never came into and caused the waters to be Shem Tov, if they did not do same time ratified its past exis- objects have a real and inde- being in the first place. gathered together into one so, not only would they cease tence. pendent existence; second, that The Strengthening place, forming from them the to exist -- it would be as if they This point may be diffi- our time scheme (in which we sea, He stipulated with the sea of the Sea had never been created. In other cult for us to understand. For cannot reach back and change But why did G-d need that it should split to allow the words, had the Red Sea not di- though we can imagine what it the past) is the only possible Israelites to pass through it on to make an agreement with vided, it would not only never is for something to be obliter- one. Both conceptions are false the sea, and why particularly dry land and then overwhelm have water again, its entire pre- ated, surely its past existence is in Judaism. In the first instance, the Egyptians. Hence, the verse at the moment when it was vious existence would be oblit- an objective fact, which cannot objects only exist because G-d created? His power over His can be interpreted to read: erated. be retroactively removed? continually creates them; in the “And the sea returned to its creations is unlimited; cer- Hence the verse tells us The mental block we have second instance, time is a hu- tainly, He could have divid- stipulation.” that “the sea returned to its in comprehending this possibil- man conception, one by which There is one difficulty, ed the sea when He wanted, strength.” In fulfilling of its ity is due to a twofold secular G-d is not bound (indeed, one with or without its “consent”! however, with this interpreta- agreement with G-d, it assured conception to which our minds which G-d created and so, ob- tion: The above verse refers not its future continuity and at the tenaciously cling: First, that viously, can stand aside from). Continued on page 17 to the sea’s fulfillment of the imperative to divide, but to its returning to its former state. Yet wasn’t the most important part of the “stipulation” that the sea should, contrary to its nature, divide its waters? “Returning to its strength” seem to be little more than a resumption of its natural state. One of the commentaries on the Midrash suggests an ex- planation based on the Talmu- dic account of a similar miracle. In the Talmud (Chullin 7a), Rabbi Pinchas ben Yair tells the River Ginai to divide its waters. When it refuses, he says to it: The Messianic Era - The Basics “If you do not do so, I will de- Paving the Road cur prior to the arrival of the the nations.” will reveal profound hitherto cree that no water shall flow in Moshiach. This topic is shroud- unknown dimensions of the To- you forever.” If the same were to the Redemption ed in mystery: we are uncertain rah. “Behold I will send to you Total Immersion in true of the Red Sea, then its re- as to the identity of Gog and The Midrash goes as Elijah the Prophet before the turning to its former strength Magog, whether Gog and Ma- G-dly Wisdom far as to say that “the To- arrival of the great and awe- would be evidence of its having gog are the names of nations or The Messianic Era will rah which we study in this some day of G d”—the Prophet fulfilled its agreement with G-d. individuals, whether this battle be one of tremendous prosper- world is naught in comparison Malachi. will be a physical or spiritual ity—”delicacies will be com- to the Torah of Moshiach.” battle, and even whether it has monplace like dust.” That will Furthermore, while our present- A Conditional World Elijah will appear in or- already occurred or not. leave humankind with ample day knowledge of G-d is limited Rabbi Israel Baal der to herald the coming of free time—and all the nations to intellectual perception, when Shem Tov extended this prin- Moshiach, though there’s much According to tradition, of the world will be preoccu- Moshiach will teach about G-d, ciple to the entirety of creation: speculation as to precisely the central personality in this pied with one pursuit: the study we will actually “see” what we at the time of the creation of the when he will appear. With his war is Moshiach ben Yosef— of G-d and the Torah. Moshiach are studying. world, all the objects of nature arrival, he will also serve sev- Moshiach of the tribe of Joseph, Continued on page 17 were created on the condition eral other important functions. who will be killed in this battle. that they obeyed the will of the The prophet Ezekiel describes The World of Lubavitch Chabad Lubavitch of Ontario righteous, even if it ran counter a climactic war, the Battle of A Publication of HaRav Dovid Schochet Rabbi Yitzchak Grossbaum to their normal physical laws.

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