On miracles – Christian Today

Hebrew scholar and Jewish academic Irene Lancaster reflects on the meaning of a miracle.

As Rabbi Nathan Cardozo was writing the chapter on ‘Bo’ (‘Come’: Exodus 10:1-13:16) for his book, Shemot: The Book of Exodus, on the miracles that took place in Egypt, he adds the comment that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) were just making peace with the State of Israel. This was indeed a miracle.

The query should be posed: Is Israel herself a miracle? What the truth is is a miracle?

As I write this, the body of the last remaining Israeli hostage, Ran Gvili, was found and returned to Israel. He was ‘the primary to exit; the last to return!’ He is being buried in his Negev home town as I write.

It is definitely no coincidence that every one this took place around Holocaust Memorial Day, with the passing of the much-denigrated Holocaust Memorial Bill and it now becoming an Act. 

Holocaust survivor families speaking within the House of Lords on Holocaust Memorial Day, January 27, identified the double standards surrounding this Act, exacerbated by the BBC refusing to make use of the word ‘Jew’ on its specially-honed commemorative programmes, while Israel focused on the miracle of having the ability to stop counting the times of the October 7, 2023 war after reaching day 843. 

The return of Ran Gvili’s body coincided with the Sedra of Beshalach: ‘When Pharaoh let the people go (Exodus 13:17)’ Moses takes the  bones of Joseph with him (v 19) to be buried within the Promised Land, which Joseph had requested (Genesis 50:25) as his very last words. 

Let us return nonetheless to the biblical miracles of Egypt outlined within the previous Sedra of ‘Bo’ (Exodus 10:1-13:16). The undeniable fact that the Jewish people have suffered atrocities and disasters throughout their very long history, and yet have survived and flourished, outliving all their enemies, is possibly the best miracle of all, crowned by the creation and contribution of the State of Israel. 

For Rabbi Cardozo: ‘the true power of a miracle is in the person’s experience of an event … permitting a glimpse of the sphere through which one other unrestricted Power is at work.’

For the Russian Orthodox Christian theologian, Nikolai Berdyaev (1874-1948): ‘ … this people ought way back to have perished. Its survival is a mysterious and wonderful phenomenon … The survival of the Jews, their resistance to destruction, their endurance under absolutely peculiar conditions and the fateful role played by them in history, all these point to the actual and mysterious foundations of their destiny.’

According to Rabbi Cardozo, despite being surrounded by greater than 100 million Arab and Muslim people and subject to wars, murders and acts of terrorism on an ongoing basis, ‘the people of Israel proceed to experience an amazing variety of miracles.’

‘Throughout Israel’s history, these miracles have given birth to optimism.’ Even after suicide bombings and the recent trauma of October 7, 2023, the worst anti-Jewish atrocity suffered for the reason that Shoah itself, ‘almost as soon because the smoke had cleared, things got back to normal.’

‘ … We must realize that miracles have been a part of Israel’s history so long as Jews, in and out of doors the Land, have understood their uniqueness and have done every little thing possible to merit these extraordinary events.’

Part of this openness to miracles comes from the Hebrew understanding of the concept ‘duty calls’. In English this call appears to be coming from afar. In order to listen to this call we ourselves have to return nearer. Some prefer to not approach in any respect, opting to avoid the decision of duty.

In Hebrew nonetheless, obligation is viewed very in a different way. In Hebrew, obligation actually ‘embraces’ us. There aren’t any ‘long-distance calls.’ Rather, these calls hold us of their grasp. This sort of duty encourages growth. It allows us to live as full human beings. 

Maybe this embrace of obligation is why the Sedra of ‘Bo’ starts with G-d coaxing Moses to ‘’come to’ Pharaoh.’ We might need thought that Moses would approach Pharaoh on his own. But this time, for the three final plagues, G-d was ‘with Moses’ ceaselessly. 

G-d Himself would help Moses overcome Pharaoh’s stranglehold over the enslaved children of Israel. Now, after seven unsuccessful attempts to steer Pharaoh to see reason, G-d tells Moses that they’ll go together. In this fashion, with G-d at his side, Moses could finally leave Egypt and darkness behind. Moses could now truly face his fears head-on, as real freedom awaits each him and the youngsters of Israel.