[Avodah] Even More on Volcanos and Miracles

[Yitzchok Levine]

On June 16. 2010 (Avodah Digest, Vol 27, Issue 
131) I posted some comments about what I termed 
"miracle" stories. My motivation for this post 
was the fact that the Hamodia Magazine had 
published a story about a young man who received 
a liver transplant in Belgium because flights 
were cancelled due to the eruption of a volcano 
in Iceland.  I indicated that I am not in favor 
of what I consider a preoccupation with "miracle" 
stories.  I consider this an important issue, and 
this is the reason for this post. YL

The Hamodia Magazine published my letter 
expressing my views on "miracle" stories. It may 
be read at http://tinyurl.com/2wwmp4n and I included this link in my post.

In this week's Hamodia Magazine there is a 
response to my letter by A. C. Carmell. I have 
posted this letter at 
http://www.stevens.edu/golem/llevine/hamodia/volcano_response.pdf

I then wrote another letter to the Editor of the Hamodia Magazine.

To the Editor:

I read with surprise A. C. Carmell's letter in 
this week's Hamodia Magazine that criticizes my 
letter that appeared in last week's Magazine 
under the heading More on Volcanos and Miracles.

My surprise is not because he or she does not 
agree with me, but because I would have thought 
that the Hamodia Magazine would have given me the 
opportunity to respond to A. C. Carmell's letter 
before it appeared. Should not one have the 
opportunity to respond to his critics, 
particularly when the criticism aimed at him is made public?

Be this as it may, let me point out the 
following. A neighbor of mine has first hand 
knowledge of the incident in question. She told 
me that she is not at all happy about the way 
this incident was portrayed both by the Hamodia 
and other publications. "The volcano is only one 
small piece of the story. To focus on it and 
exclude all of the other things that occurred is an injustice."

A. C. Carmel wrote,  "It takes a lifetime of 
contemplation of the words of the Ramban to 
achieve this (appreciating acts of Hashgacha 
Pratis). The countless incidents of clear 
hashgacha one encounters in his lifetime are what 
bring home to him vividly the fact that Hashem 
really does rule the affairs of the world."

I certainly agree with this. However, these 
incidents have to be clear hashgacha, not some 
partial recounting of a story that leaves out the 
essence of what occurred and focuses on "one 
small piece of the story."  Unless one has the 
entire picture, one runs the risk of focusing on 
the Tofel and ignoring the Ikar.   More often 
than not the stories that are circulated are not 
based on hard facts and, even if they 
are,  probably do not give the entire 
picture.  Indeed, how are we to get the entire 
picture unless we have first hand knowledge 
and/or speak with someone who has this knowledge?

On the other hand, the miracle of a baby being 
born is, in my opinion, a clear miracle that is 
verified every time it occurs. Why focus on 
stories that may have questionable authenticity 
and/or leave out key parts of what happened when 
one has all of the daily miracles that occur in our lives?

Professor Yitzchok Levine

My oldest son, Rabbi Dovid Levine, after reading 
my letter and A. C. Carmell's letter, sent me the 
following which I have also sent to the Hamodia.

Hi Abba,

This letter is misguided and it is a strong 
support for your position. Instead of clarifying, 
the writer muddles, confuses, and misleads. His 
position reflects the mistaken, lazy approach to 
emunah prevalent. The Ramban says clearly that 
Hashem will NOT make miracles in every 
generation. That is why we have many reminders of 
Yetzias Mitzrayim, the major event that showed 
His hashgachah openly operating outside the laws 
of nature. By studying, reviewing, reinforcing, 
commemorating that singular event, we come to 
emunah that Hashem is mashgiach and controls 
everything. Why commemorate an event from 3000 
years ago if we can just open the Hamodia and 
read articles about “open miracles” of nature obeying Hashem’s will?

Indeed, the way to increase emunah is to study 
this Ramban and all the other sources about 
emunah repeatedly, constantly, in depth. Rambam, 
Chovos HaLevavos, Sefer HaIkarim, Ramchal, down 
to Sifsei Chaim 
<http://www.feldheim.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi?item=978-159826-227-8>Faith 
and Divine Providence (Feldheim translation of 
Emunah V’Hashgacha volume 1) in our generation. 
We also need to view every event we experience 
through that lens, and make choices that conform 
to that perspective. That is emunah in action, 
otherwise known as bitachon (Chazon Ish Emunah 
U’Bitachon Sec. 2). We will not reach emunah and 
bitachon by repeating feel-good tales, which only 
credit the warm and fuzzy experiences to Hashem. 
People tell these stories, and LOSE their faith 
when they experience that real life is not a 
Just-So story, that Hashem does not answer every 
prayer. Bad happens to good people, and most of 
the effects of volcanoes give us reason to cry, 
not rejoice. These stories weaken our faith that 
ALL events, good and bad, come from Hashem. I 
merited pulling a sickly young man from the brink 
of apikorsus bez”H by forcing him to accept that 
indeed his life is hell, and that Hashem, whose 
ways are inscrutable, created that hell for him. 
I think these stories weaken emunah. The Chazon 
Ish was insistent that bitachon means everything 
is in Hashem’s control, not that everything will 
turn out good. He calls “positive payoff” 
bitachon an old, mistaken belief. (Emunah U’Bitachon Sec. 2)

Chazal indeed fixed a blessing for parents to 
make on the birth of a child – Shehechiyanu or 
Hatov v'hamativ. We also say Elokai Neshamah and 
Mechaye HaMeisim each morning to thank Hashem for 
keeping us alive. At weddings, we bless Hashem 
“Who formed man”. We thank Hashem daily for 
vision, clothes, bodily functions, and 
intelligence, none of which is an open miracle. 
On the other hand, “One who recites Hallel 
everyday is mecharef and megadef - blasphemes and 
reproaches [the Divine Name]” (Shabbos 118b). 
This is because such a person does not display a 
differentiation between Teva and nes. If every 
day is a Hallel day, he precludes the 
demonstration that on certain days Hashem 
suspended nature. This, in essence, says Hashem 
CANNOT suspend nature. See Rashi and Maharsha. 
Rather, the Gemara continues, one should say 
Pesukei D'Zimrah every day. This “Hallel” 
reflects on all of nature doing Hashem’s will.

Another Gemara (Berachos 33b and Megillah 25a) 
states that we silence one who says, “Recall 
Hashem’s name for the good He does”. By focusing 
solely on the good, this person suggests that he 
does not associate His name with bad. We need to 
bless G-d for both good and bad. The constant 
barrage of stories of “good” hashgachah goes 
against this principle. When was the last time 
you read an article or heard someone express how 
bashert it was that something DID NOT work out 
how he or she wanted? “I had to park four blocks 
away from the store and walk in the pouring rain 
only to find the store was out of the product I 
needed. It’s “mamesh” min Hashomayim!” (The 
stories in which one sees in retrospect how 
everything was for the best do not count.)

The sad error of this person’s thinking is 
obvious in his words: “Stories of hashgachah 
don't create such a burden because one can always 
attribute them to chance -minhago shel alam, 
Hashem's regular way of running the world, if one 
feels that Hashem wouldn't do something like that 
for a particular individual.” This borders on 
kefirah. WE ASSIGN NOTHING TO CHANCE. There are 
different arrangements in which Hashem decides 
what should happen to a person (for example 
hashgacha kelalis and peratis), and He has 
different methods of imposing that hashgachah, 
but there is no “chance”. Such a statement 
results from a superficial understanding of 
darkei Hashem, which stems in part from relying 
on hashgachah pratis columns for our 
understanding of emunah rather than learning the sources in depth.

The issue is subtle and refined, and needs more 
intense thought than most people are willing to 
invest. People are also strongly influenced by 
the media bent toward feel-good stories designed 
to increase readership and suggest an aura of 
righteousness. Who wants to read that their lives 
may not turn out as rosy as they wish, and that 
hashgachah is almost never obvious?

May we merit to have and to influence the world to have true emunah.

Dovid


     
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