Rabbis and Wonder-Workers

As we learned at length (ch. 18), the ordinary conduct of the world is by way of nature. That is, God created the world with wisdom and runs it according to the laws embedded within it, so that a person can understand the results of his actions. If he chooses good, he adds good; if he chooses evil, he adds evil. And although one cannot foresee with certainty what will happen, since within the framework of the laws of nature there are many factors that influence every event, nevertheless it is usually possible to estimate what will probably happen. For example, one can estimate that if a person plows and sows his field before the winter, when winter comes the rains will fall and in the spring he will merit to reap his grain. True, sometimes the rains are withheld, or a blight strikes his field, or a robber seizes his land, or an enemy conquers his country, and then he will not merit to reap his grain. Therefore it is not enough for a person to be diligent in working his field; rather, for extra security he must also store some of his grain for the coming years, lest the rains not fall or a blight strike his field. And he must organize within a communal and national framework, so that there will be police to protect his land from robbers and an army to protect his country from enemies.

Life within this framework of the laws of nature allows a person to reveal the image of God within him, to develop all his talents, and to draw the word of God into the world in such a way that the laws of nature do not limit him but, on the contrary, amplify his powers. On the other hand, however, the difficulty of existing within the framework of the laws of nature can make a person forget his faith and his purpose, until he accepts reality as an unchangeable fact, compromising with all the injustices within it. For example, he will be willing to enslave himself to the wealthy in order to insure himself against drought or blight in his field, will crown tyrannical rulers over himself in order to defend himself against robbers and enemies, and will despair of changing his situation – until it seems that darkness covers the earth and the laws of nature imprison man, and in order to survive he must give up his faith and his values.

Like stars shining in the darkness, wonder-workers who cleave to God and to the values of truth and goodness without compromise kindle the fire of faith in people’s hearts, and remind them that God guides the world, that the laws of nature are subject to Him, and that He loves the righteous, answers their prayers, and sometimes performs for them wonders that break through the limits of nature. Their conduct suits exceptional individuals who are meticulous in the mitzvot far beyond what is required by the guidance of the Torah, while overcoming their nature tremendously, and who thereby connect to a supernal level beyond this world – to a level that we will reach in the future, when God’s providence over all His creatures will be revealed, and the righteous will receive reward and the wicked will be punished. The wonders are indeed performed only rarely, so as not to harm the order of nature that is necessary for the rectification of the world; yet through their exemplary lives, wonder-workers inspire the ordinary person to believe that if he strengthens himself in Torah and mitzvot, he will merit to be freed from enslavement to the shackles that prevent him from rectifying himself. They also inspire the great Torah scholars to uncover the hidden depths within the framework of the laws of nature, so that they can guide the public in the ways of God in such a manner that the laws of nature will help them continue advancing toward the rectification of the world and its redemption.

However, since the way of the world is that it is conducted according to nature, and the miracle is meant to reveal God’s will in the world and not to change its order, wonder-workers strive to cleave to the trait of humility and not to benefit from the miracle. And when they were not careful about this, they suffered afflictions (as explained below in sections 3-6).