Q&A: Prayer for a Miracle
Prayer for a Miracle
Question
I have heard the Rabbi say more than once that, in principle, there is a problem with praying nowadays for anything, since reality is deterministic (while of course making an exception because we do not have absolute certainty). But why should we claim that? Quantum theory shows that at the base of our whole world there is ontological randomness. So even if one thinks that the effect of quantum phenomena on macroscopic objects is tiny, and therefore prayers are still meaningless, at most there is no philosophical reason to think that prayer actually affects reality. But on the halakhic level, it would still be permitted, since reality itself is not truly fixed and deterministic, but only behaves as if it were. Isn’t that so?
Answer
Randomness does not help the issue in any way. Divine involvement would still be a violation of the laws of nature, even if they are statistical. I have explained this more than once.
But I have already written that in order to abolish prayer, one would need complete certainty, and I do not have that even without quantum theory.
Discussion on Answer
You’re pushing on an open door. Search here on the site for a discussion of the topic.
More generally, what does a statistical law of nature even mean? If it is statistical (ontologically), then it is not a law of nature.
A law of nature is something absolute and fixed. Given A, then B must necessarily happen; if C happens, then there has been a violation of the laws. By contrast, if there is genuine randomness, then that means that given A, both B and C can happen, and therefore if the Holy One, blessed be He, caused C to happen, that is not a violation of the law, because C can happen within the framework of the law itself.
Bumping this again.
Not correct. There can also be statistical laws. Nature is governed by a certain distribution. If the results deviate from it, that is a deviation from the laws of nature. Think of a fair die that the Holy One, blessed be He, causes to land on 6 all the time.
So why did the Sages in Berakhot 60 permit praying for the fetus during the first 40 days? According to your approach, the fact that the sex of the fetus has not yet been determined does not mean that divine intervention at that stage is not a violation of the laws.