Q&A: Divine Involvement, Miracles, and Interpretation
Divine Involvement, Miracles, and Interpretation
Question
Hello, honorable Rabbi,
Following your column about divine involvement in the world and about miracles today, I have a pretty interesting issue that I haven’t been able to find a scientific explanation for.
We (or at least I) witness many cases in which fires occur, whether car fires or house fires,
where as a result of the fire everything is completely burned up, and only sacred items remain unharmed.
How can this be explained?
Isn’t this an open miracle?
There are many examples and testimonies about this online, and I personally know one or two such cases firsthand,
whether it’s sacred books that came out untouched, or tefillin.
For example, you can see the following articles:
https://www.hidabroot.org/article/233791
https://www.kikar.co.il/israel-news/418100
and there are many more like these.
Thanks in advance!
Answer
I have no idea. This requires a comprehensive statistical examination against objects made of similar materials located in similar places. Only after there is reliable data like that can the matter be discussed.
Discussion on Answer
There’s a picture of a spaghetti strainer sitting on a shelf that remained standing on the remains of a wall of a collapsed building.
Believers in the Flying Spaghetti Monster posted it to show the hand of divine providence.
You can probably look for it on their Facebook page.
An answer to my own question
I think I found one that is worthy enough (with the help of our friend ChatGPT, which helped me reach some conclusions).
The answer:
This phenomenon can be attributed to a combination of factors that may contribute to it.
One possibility is that Torah scrolls, tefillin, and sacred books are made of materials that are less flammable than other materials that were burned in the fire. For example, Torah scrolls are made of parchment, which is a type of animal skin that is more resistant to fire than paper or wood. Similarly, tefillin are made of leather and parchment, which are also relatively fire-resistant.
Another possible factor is storage conditions. Sacred items like those mentioned above often have strict rules regarding how they are handled and stored. These rules may include keeping the books in a specific place, such as a holy ark. These methods may help protect the books from damage during a fire.
Another factor is the behavior of fire. Fires can be unpredictable, and their behavior depends on various factors, such as fuel availability, the rate at which the fire spreads, and the intensity of the heat. It is possible that in some cases the fire did not reach the area where the sacred items were stored, or that the objects were shielded by other objects that absorbed the heat and flames.
Finally, it is also possible that some people may view the survival of these sacred objects as a miracle or an act of divine intervention. In Jewish tradition there are stories of sacred objects miraculously surviving fires, floods, and other disasters. These stories may serve as a source of comfort and inspiration for people who have experienced loss due to a fire or another catastrophe, and they may not be supported by scientific evidence.
In summary, while there are cases in which sacred items survived fires, there are also cases in which they were damaged or destroyed. The survival of these items can be attributed to a combination of factors, including the materials used, the storage conditions, and the nature of the fires.