Question

I’ll start with an example: A certain person won the lottery twice. On the face of it, this is a statistical fact that could happen. But some want to argue that this person has supernatural abilities that brought it about. Up to this point, you would presumably agree with those who say this is merely a coincidence. But then comes the plot twist: it turns out that in the past that same person possessed a magic wand that performed wonders—it made people fly through the air, made objects disappear, and so on. Isn’t that a significant piece of information that greatly strengthens the view that this person has supernatural powers? The analogy is of course clear: the Jewish people have experienced a history more unique than that of any other nation. Unprecedented survival, the ingathering of the exiles, impossible victories in war, the establishment of the State, and more. In your view, all these are merely statistics. But don’t the open miracles of the past, and our being a chosen people, strengthen the argument that there really is a heavenly power that influenced all the events I listed?

You make a similar argument regarding the giving of the Torah: that by itself it is not proof of anything, but when you connect it to the past and to the broader story, you get a different picture.