Monday, May 19, 2014

Not All Miracles are the Same

Miracles can occur by trouncing Nature, creating their own new reality that clashes with Nature; Or, miracles can weave their way through the fabric of Nature, making it appear as if it were a "natural" incident.

Examples of the former mode of miracle are the 10 plagues that struck ancient Egypt prior to the Jewish exodus. The latter mode is exemplified by the miracle of Purim, where, once the dots are connected on the grid of "circumstances", a clear pattern emerges that spells "miracle".

G-d makes His Presence felt by way of miracles. Miracles are meant to broadcast that a higher divine power exists. The miracle, however, can derive from a LIMITED INFINITY, on the one hand, or it can project from a higher source yet, one of UNLIMITED infinity.

(Infinities, of course, can be variegate. A line possesses an infinite number of points. But the infinity of the number of points on two lines relates to a higher order of magnitude.)

Why should miracles where Nature can be toppled or beaten be of lesser "voltage" or sourced from a lower Infinity than that which masquerades in Nature's garments?

Above-Nature miracles show that their source is "stronger than Nature". But it fails to transmit that which miracles "hidden within Nature" reveal. These have an advantage; When the miracle is configured inside of Nature's guidelines, it shows that Nature ITSELF is ALSO under the control of God. The loftier miracle shows that NATURE ALSO EXISTS UNDER GOD'S MASTERY.

There's another reason too. The world is one of finiteness. If a source of limited infinity is used to create a miracle, this infinity cannot co-exist with Nature without upstaging it. In order for infinity to coexist with the finite, only a source from God Himself can drive such a phenomenon because God exists everywhere, both in the infinite as well as in the finite.
(Culled from the Rebbe's Ma-amar [Sefer Hama-amarim, Melukat vol. 4, "כימי צאתך מארץ מצרים"]. )

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