Naturally Miraculous

By Rabbi Mordechai Rhine

Eliezer, the loyal servant of Avraham, sets out on his mission to find a wife for Yitzchak. When he arrives at the well he turns to Hashem in prayer. He asks that he be presented with a girl who will generously agree to give water to both him and his camels. In this way he will know that the girl is generous and worthy of joining the family of Avraham.

Eliezer’s prayer seems straightforward. But the wording which he uses is most interesting. When he says, “Please make it happen today…” he refers to this great event with the Hebrew word “Mikreh” as a happenstance. If Eliezer is asking for a miracle that the right girl approach him, let him ask for a miracle. Why does he make it sound like he is asking for a natural occurrence, a happenstance?

In the story of Rus we find a similar wording. When Rus comes with her mother-in-law, Nomi, to the Land of Israel, she “chances” upon the field of a family relative, Boaz, who eventually brings redemption to the family. The fact that she fortuitously ends up in the field of a relative who could help her is referred to as “Vayiker Mihreho- Her happenstance occurred.” Certainly Hashem’s blessing was shining upon her on that day influencing her which direction to go and in whose field to end up. Yet, it is described merely as an act of happenstance, an act of nature.

Rav Matisyahu Salamon explained that a great lesson is being taught by using such an expression. For every person, Hashem tailor-makes the happenstance and natural occurrences which they so desperately need. Not all miracles come with visible dancing angels with wings flashing exotic colors in the picturesque starlit night. Sometimes Hashem brings the salvation in the most natural looking of ways. He simply influences us to meet the people who can make a difference in our lives.

When the verse describes that Rus arrived in just the right field by happenstance it says “Vayiker Mikreho- Her happenstance occurred,” meaning the happenstance that was tailor-made for her. Likewise when Eliezer asked for the right girl to be presented he was asking for a miracle, and he would recognize it as a miracle, even though it would be hidden in the veil of nature and happenstance.

The Talmud describes that there was a great sage by the name of Rabbi Chaninah ben Dosa who viewed all of life as one big miracle. The fact that things usually occurred in a certain way (what we call nature) did not take away from the magic of Hashem’s hand that he felt in his daily life.

The Talmud relates that one time his daughter placed vinegar in the Shabbos lamps instead of oil. She lit the lights, realized her mistake, and became despondent. Her father noticed her expression and asked what the problem was. She explained that she had accepted Shabbos and could no longer correct her mistake. The Rabbi declared, “He who makes oil burn [normally], shall make vinegar burn.” And so it was.

The commentaries explain that in the world view of Rabbi Chaninah ben Dosa the fact that oil burned was also a miracle. To him, what we call nature, was also the personal hand of Hashem. For a person to whom nature is miraculous, a clearer miracle is not too much to ask for.

The greatest contrast with the world view of seeing nature as miraculous, is the view of Amolek who chose to view even miracles as natural occurrences. When the Jewish people were redeemed from Egypt Amolek came and attacked, as if to say, “We are not impressed.” The verse describes the attack as “Korcha Baderech- They did happenstance to you.” Even the great miracles of the Exodus were reduced to natural explanations so that Amolek could claim that there was nothing to get excited about or be impressed by.

Interestingly, in the story of Purim, Hashem defeats Haman (who was from Amolek) in a way that was most appropriate. He places the right people in the right places in the most natural looking way, so that the miracle which defeats Haman looks as natural as possible. In fact for all generations we refer to the story of Purim as a Nes Nistar- A hidden miracle, a most appropriate way to defeat a person who is ready to claim that even open miracles are nothing more than fortuitous happenstance.

The story of Eliezer at the well is written in all of its detail as it happened, and then repeated in all of its detail when Eliezer recounts it afterwards to the family. The commentaries explain the repetition: Because Hashem finds the talk of Avraham’s loyal servant, Eliezer, most beloved.

Indeed, here is a man who knows how to pray. In essence he says, “I will not ask for an open miracle. But, please grant me the happenstance that I need, and I will recognize it as Your work, influencing the nuances of my daily life.”

© 2015 by TEACH613™