The Natural Way
Some religions glorify nature. Others shun the forces of nature. Judaism believes that the Torah was given to elevate nature.
G-d Appeared and Said Nothing?
Abraham, at the age of 99 complies with G-d’s request to circumcise himself and his male household members. That is where we left off at the end of last week’s Torah portion of Lech Lecha.
This week we pick up with the story of how G-d appeared to Abraham. Usually, when the Torah states that G-d appeared to someone it is followed by a message intended for that person. In this parsha, the Torah does not say for what purpose did G-d appear to Abraham. No words are spoken; no message is imparted. Why did G-d appear?
Rashi, anticipating this obvious question, responds with a quote from the Talmud: “[G-d appeared to Abraham] to visit the sick.” In other words, there was, in fact, no follow up to G-d’s appearing. He appeared to Abraham not to impart a specific message, but to just be there and comfort him while he was recuperating.
Rashi, however, does not stop there. He writes that this occurred on the third day following his circumcision.
We might ask, how did Rashi derive the information that G-d’s appearance to Abraham occurred on the third day? Nowhere in the text is there any hint as to when it occurred. And why would G-d wait until the third day to visit the ailing Abraham?
G-d, the Healer
The following is based on the Rebbe discourse (Likkutei Sichos, Volume 5) answer lies in a better understanding as to what G-d’s visit entailed. Unlike a human visitor whose appearance at the sick bed, will give encouragement and morale support, G-d’s presence in that capacity has the ability to bring about the person’s recovery. When G-d appeared to Abraham, Abraham was thus healed.
When G-d conceals His presence we are compelled to follow the natural process of healing. The word nature in Hebrew, Hateva, actually means submerged. When G-d’s presence is submerged we have no choice but to resort to the medical establishment and its remedies. Utilizing the services of the medical community – traditional or nontraditional methods, as long as they work – is entirely proper and is within the realm of nature – the situation we are in when G-d’s presence is “submerged” and concealed.
Sometimes, the natural process simply involves waiting for the body’s capacity to heal itself.
Were G-d to have come to visit Abraham before the natural process of healing was complete – a process which normally takes three days – G-d would have overridden and circumvented the natural process. And as we shall see, it would have undermined the integrity of Abraham’s mitzvah of circumcision.
Purpose of a Mitzvah
A basic rule of Judaism is that it was given to humans who live in a natural world (not supernatural or spiritual). The purpose of a mitzvah is to infuse the physical world with G-dly energy. This we accomplish by performing Mitzvos (G-d’s precepts) utilizing the natural world. We perform Mitzvos with our bodies. Most Mitzvos involve physical objects. To perform a mitzvah with supernatural powers would defeat the purpose of doing the mitzvah.
Similarly, to perform the mitzvah of circumcision that normally takes three days for a full recovery, and to be healed miraculously by G-d’s direct intervention, would have undermined the natural focus of the mitzvah.
The Boat Stops Here!
A story is told of Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, the founder of the Chabad Chassidic movement, that illustrates this point. When he was transported by boat from one Russian prison to another, he wished to recite the blessing on the new moon. He asked the guard rowing the boat to stop so he can say his prayer. When the guard refused, the Rebbe miraculously caused the boat to stop. The rabbi said a preliminary psalm and the boat started to move again. The rabbi asked the guard once more to stop the boat so that he could say the prayer. This time the guard complied.
The question has been raised: If the rabbi possessed the supernatural power to stop the boat, why did he have to ask the guard to do it? And the answer is that a mitzvah should be done within the parameters of the natural world.
The same is true with respect to Abraham’s Mitzvah. It was the only Mitzvah at that time that actually transformed the physical world. All other Mitzvos were more ethereal and spiritual, Circumcision was to be a model and portent of the future in terms of sanctifying the physical body and the physical world. As such, the Rebbe explains, it had to be performed without any shortcuts, otherwise it would not affect the world of nature it was intended to do.
Mitzvos of the Future
The above premise explains why Maimonides is so insistent that Moshiach does not have to perform miracles to prove that he was sent by G-d to usher in the Age of Redemption. Why is Maimonides so emphatic about this?
The Rebbe explained that Moshiach is not about altering the character of Torah and its commandments. On the contrary, the primary objective of Moshiach is to restore the Mitzvos to their original state and facilitate their observance on the most ideal of levels.
To require of Moshiach to perform miracles to establish his qualification to be Moshiach would mean that his objective is not the world of nature. That would be contrary to the entire objective of Judaism.
This does not mean that there will be no miracles in the Messianic Age. According to Maimonides, as his words were interpreted by the Rebbe, there will be two stages. In the second stage there will be miracles. However, even the supernatural events that will occur then will not overwhelm the natural process but will gradually “fit in” to it. The natural process itself will become receptive to the supernatural G-dly light.
From the book Light from the Future: Parshas Vayeira by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.
