Q&A: The Holy One, Blessed Be He, and the World
The Holy One, Blessed Be He, and the World
Question
Following what was presented, that the Holy One, Blessed Be He, does not intervene in nature: essentially, all the laws of damages—and not only those—show that the Torah’s view is to exempt or obligate based on the existing laws of nature, such as a usual wind, the force of gravity, fire tending to spread, and the like.
Answer
Where was this presented? Is there context for this question? If so, please post it there.
As it stands, I do not understand your claim.
Discussion on Answer
I do not think there is any sane person who denies the existence of laws of nature—that when the wind blows, the fire advances, and so on. The question under debate is whether all these things, at every moment, are acts of the Holy One, Blessed Be He.
That does not matter. If it can be predicted what will happen, then His actions are not a response but a fixed routine.
I thought the title “The Holy One, Blessed Be He, and the World” would establish the context. In any case, I am referring to things said in lesson 6 under that title. And I came to reinforce your claim that God acts within the framework of the laws of nature. We see this in the laws of monetary damages, for example in a person’s financial liability for damage, where the laws of nature are constantly taken into account, and a person is liable if he did not take them into account and did not guard his property accordingly—for example, a usual wind, or a shaky wall, or one who positions his animal, and the like. Indeed, as you said, these things are super simple and obvious, but in order to get it into people’s heads, I brought banal sources.