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The blessing of the reciprocator at this time

שו”תCategory: faithThe blessing of the reciprocator at this time
asked 9 years ago

Today, when we know that nature is completely deterministic, is there still room for the reciprocal blessing?


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מיכי Staff answered 9 years ago

For me, all gratitude is about the creation of the world and its laws. The creation of the world and the creation of its laws is what brought me the favor I received, and therefore this is an opportunity to thank for it. In principle, gratitude could be given at any time, but psychologically we have a more comfortable feeling after we have received something joyful. For example, when someone gives you a book, you thank them not only when you received the book but also when you enjoyed reading it.
In passing, I will only add that there may be sporadic interventions by God in the world (I do not know how to confirm or deny such a claim). My argument is that this is probably not the ongoing nature. It operates deterministically.

Incidentally, this is a conclusion that must be reached according to Maimonides’ view of miracles (as a nature imprinted in the world from His creation). See also the Maharal’s introduction to his book Gevurot Ha-Ha, and in my recorded lessons on miracles.


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שמעון ירושלמי replied 9 years ago

Can I get a source for Maimonides' view on miracles?
Thank you

מיכי Staff replied 9 years ago

See the HaMaharl in the introduction there.
I am copying several sources:

Yalkut Shimoni Yehoshua, Remez 21:
The sun stood still in Gibeon, when I stretched out my hands over the heavens and commanded all their host, according to Rabbi Jonathan Tannaim, the Holy One, blessed be He, made a covenant with the sea, that it would be divided for the children of Israel, according to Rabbi Jeremiah the son of Zechariah, Eleazar did not only make a covenant with the sea, the Holy One, blessed be He, but with everything that was created in the six days of Genesis, I am the Lord, whose hands stretched out the heavens and all their host I commanded, I commanded the sea to split before the children of Israel, I commanded the sun and the moon to stand still before Joshua, as it is said, Sun at Gibeon stood still, I commanded the heavens and the earth to be silent before Moses, as it is said, Hearken, O heavens, that I may speak, I commanded the ravens to feed Elijah, as it is said, And the ravens bring him bread, I commanded the light not to harm Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, I commanded the lions not to harm Daniel, I commanded the heavens to open before Ezekiel, as it is said, The heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God, I commanded the fish to vomit up Jonah, as it is said, And the Lord said to the fish, and it vomited up Jonah. I know that whatever God does, there is nothing to add to it and nothing to subtract from it.

Rambam 58:8:
And in this the “speakers” disagree, according to what they have heard, that the will in everything always comes at a time after a time. And we do not believe so, but the will was in the six days of the beginning, and all things continue in their natural course always, as he said: +Ecclesiastes 1:9+ “That which has been is what will be”, +Ecclesiastes 3:15+ “And that which is to be has already been”, +Ecclesiastes 1:9+ “There is nothing new under the sun”. And because of this, the sages were forced to say that all the miracles that come out of the world's custom, which were, and which were destined to be, were all preceded by the will in the six days of Genesis, and were placed in the nature of those things at that time, so that what was renewed would be renewed in them. And when it was renewed at the appropriate time, they thought of it as something that happened now, which is not so. And they have already expanded on this matter a lot in the Midrash of Ecclesiastes and its commentary. And their statement on this matter is: "The world goes according to its custom." And you will always find them in all their words, peace be upon them, fleeing from the gift of the will in one thing after another and at one time after another.

Piham”sh Avot 5:5:
[5] I have already reminded you in the eighth chapter that they will not believe in the renewal of the will from time to time, but that at the beginning of the making of things it was placed in their nature that whatever would be done would be done in them, whether it was the thing that would be done – frequently, which is the natural thing, or whether it was rarely, which is the example. And therefore he said that on the sixth day he was placed in the earth that would sink in the snow and his congregation, and in the well that would bring forth water, and in the donkey that would speak, and so on the rest. And writing is the Torah written before him, he will ascend, as he said, and we do not know how, and he says: +Exodus 24:12+ “And I will give you the tablets of stone and the Torah and the commandment which I have written for their instruction”. And writing is the writing that is on the tablets, as he said: +Exodus 23:16+ “And the writing is the writing of God”.
And perhaps you will say: And if all the signs were placed in the nature of the same things from the six days of Genesis, why are these ten singled out? Know that they do not single out to say that there is no sign that was placed in the nature of the things from the six days of Genesis except these, but rather he said that these were the only signs that were made between the suns, and the rest of the signs were indeed placed in the nature of the thing in which they were made at the beginning of its making. For example, he said that on the second day, at the time of the waters, it was placed in Tiberias for the Red Sea to part for Moses, and the Jordan for Joshua, and likewise for Elijah and Elisha. And on the fourth day, when the sun was created, it was placed in it to stand for a certain time in the words of Joshua. And so are the rest of the signs, except for these ten. And they were placed in the nature of the same things between the suns.

שמעון ירושלמי replied 9 years ago

Thank you and good luck!

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