A wedding in honor of Rabbi Michi
Hello,
I recently listened to a very interesting podcast that you did with Daniel Doshi and I was very impressed. I wanted to ask you whether you believe that the people of Israel are a chosen people in the sense that they have a special role in history and therefore their improbable development (exile, riots, Holocaust, resurrection, gathering of exiles, improbable victories against powerful forces in a region in a state of inferiority, etc., etc.)… Do you believe this and how do you explain the unusual existence of the people of Israel from a historical perspective? Do you think it is the hand of providence or is it just a coincidence? And do you believe in the prophecies of the Bible?
Discover more from הרב מיכאל אברהם
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Discover more from הרב מיכאל אברהם
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
The Rabbi says it's even likely that it's our job. I don't think I've seen a column on this matter, but if the Rabbi did write about it, I'd be happy to refer to it.
I didn't write about it because I don't have anything interesting to say about it. It is factually clear that we played a significant role in instilling morality and the Bible, etc. Was it predetermined for us? Maybe.
By the way, speaking of belief in Bible prophecies, I was just recently sent a nice post on the subject that only reinforces what I wrote above: https://www.facebook.com/share/1AMVsyjvin/
Your Honor, thank you for the answer. I will clarify my intention. After all, the Bible speaks of the gathering of exiles from all corners of the earth. It speaks of the building of Jerusalem. It speaks of wars against the nations that can be witnessed in these very days. What do you think about all of this? In other words, how is it possible that these things suddenly came true? The chance that, for example, the gathering of exiles would occur after 2,000 years of exile in the face of all the difficulties and would still somehow succeed in the face of so many adversaries and enemies... In other words, it is not likely as is natural... So do you think there is divine intervention here that perhaps occurred in advance in the molding of these abilities in the Jewish nation or even in real providence during the course of history and our navigation? Why do you object to the matter of providence being involved in the world?
All of these could be natural phenomena, which are of course influenced by our culture and Halacha. I have explained several times why I have reservations. You can search the website ‘Divine Involvement in the World’.
Thanks Rabbi,
I didn't say they couldn't be natural phenomena, but the whole thing here is a matter of probability, does it turn out that all of this happened (and is still happening) by chance without a guiding hand? On the surface, this is a lot of coincidences that don't seem likely to work out, and in accordance with prophecies from 2500 years ago… (I'm talking about the gathering of the exiles and the wars with Israel in the nations, etc.’)
The prophecies are not concrete and therefore they are not given much weight. The gathering of the exiles is the result of the fact that we have the Torah and have received the law and commandments of settling the land, etc. These have caused us not to forget it and to long for it and, in the end, to return to it. I see no indications of divine involvement here. That's it, I'm done. The rest is written on the pages of the website.
Thank you Rabbi!
Leave a Reply
Please login or Register to submit your answer