Ma'amoros and Miracles

“With ten ma’amoros (utterances) the world was created. And what does this teach us? Couldn’t the world have been created with one ma’amar? Rather to take retribution from the reshaim who destroy the world that was created with ten ma’amoros and to give reward to the tzadikim who sustain the world that was created with ten ma’amoros”

-- Avos 5:1

What were the ten ma’amoros? They were divine ordinances, but were they just a natural process of creation or were they actual unnatural interventions that created the world? A parallel question can be asked about Intelligent Design. The universe clearly shows evidence of design but can the process of creation still be explained naturally? Science has explained many things that before were simply attributed to G-d, so maybe it can explain the process of creation as well. People used to explain why leaves change color and why it rains by saying G-d causes it, it’s like a miracle, but now we know that the system can be explained with natural laws, the system G-d created. Perhaps creation is similar. Instead of just saying that G-d created all the plants and animals, maybe we can also explain the natural process that happened. In other words, is Intelligent Design just a logical conclusion that can be seen from looking at evolution or is it a necessary explanation for what evolution can’t explain naturally?

Most scientists claim they can explain the existence of all living things just with Darwinian Evolution, but it doesn’t actually work. Small changes cannot explain the great differences between different categories of animals, and the fossil record goes against it. Another evolutionary theory, Punctuated Equilibrium, says the changes happened very quickly after long periods of equilibrium. This theory doesn’t really explain why nature should work like that, but it does fit the fossil record better. Intelligent Design can explain why there would be major changes and how such an organized system would be the end-result.
From the Torah, it seems that there were separate events that weren’t natural. Although only the beginning was creation ex nihilo, each ma’amar seems to be more than just the flow of nature. Some people don’t like this idea and feel it must all have been natural, B’raishis is just hashkafic. They basically feel that G-d could have created the world with just one ma’amar so surely He did. Why ‘bother’ with 10 ma’amoros? Of course, this is the issue dealt with by the Mishnah. The Mishnah explains that the 10 ma’amaros bring reward and punishment into the world; the world is more valuable because of the ma’amoros that made it. To say the only ‘miraculous’ act was creation is almost like Deism, it sounds like saying G-d has no more part in the world. But G-d does, and the ten ma’amoros show that our actions make a difference. When someone sins, he is destroying a world that was created with much ‘effort’ and something the Creator is still actively involved in.

A similar issue arises with nissim – some claim miracles don’t break any laws of nature, they’re just unlikely events that still show G-d is in charge. The sea split naturally because of the wind and just at the time the Jews needed to get across. They feel G-d doesn’t need to break the laws of nature, He’s able to run the world within the system of nature. Also, the greatest wonder is nature itself, so miracles aren’t necessary.
This view is somewhat meaningless nowadays because quantum physics basically says anything could happen, if the smallest particles move in unlikely enough ways. The sea can split naturally even without wind; everything is just probabilities. Anyway, it’s incorrect to say the laws of nature are never broken. G-d intervenes in nature not because He needs to, but to show that He exists, is involved in the world, and we matter to Him. The same thing can be figured out logically, but won’t be strong enough to withstand pagan influences. Avraham was able to convince many people to believe in One God, but his followers' descendants didn’t remain monotheists. Even the Jews themselves became idol worshipers during the exile in Egypt. G-d revealed Himself with miracles so Judaism could better overcome false ideologies.
Some still feel the laws of nature were never broken because it seems quite strange, and doesn’t appear to happen nowadays. But those days were different. There appeared to be all sorts of different forces in the world, and paganism was the dominant ideology. Even a miracle didn’t remove bechirah completely, there was no known system of nature yet. When there was still idolatry, there could still be prophecy and miracles could also be more frequent. Nowadays, the miracles are more hidden than krias yam suf (though still show that history is being guided).
Some feel the unnatural is greater than nature; all of creation was completely miraculous, nature itself isn’t worth studying except for the parts we don’t understand which are the most wondrous. But this is also incorrect. The greatest wonder is not miracles, but nature itself. And the most amazing things in nature are systems we understand the most complexity of. Although it may be amazing how birds can get south, even more amazing is the complexity of photosynthesis. The greatest niflaos ha’boreh are not seen by looking at the gaps in our knowledge. The Mishnah asked a very strong question, why the interventions were necessary at all. We would think it should just all be nature. But ma'amoros and miracles have a purpose. G-d is still involved in the world and the choices we make matter.

G-d and Design

This post on knowing there’s a G-d was written as a dialogue between two people, Reuven and Simon, to make it quicker to write and to allow for poorly written arguments.

Reuven: The Torah begins with “In the Beginning, G-d created the heavens and the earth.” The Rambam began the first chapter of Mishnah Torah with the mitzvah to “know that there is a G-d” as it says “I am Hashem, your G-d”. The second chapter begins with the mitzvah to love and fear G-d. The Rambam explains the way to love G-d is to study G-d’s wondrous creations, and to see the infinite wisdom that will cause awe and love of G-d.
Avraham was able to look at the universe, realize there’s a G-d and reach the highest levels of loving G-d. He realized there had to be a “First Cause” and saw that there had to be a Designer.

Simon: You’re quoting the Rambam and Avraham to show studying science is a way to know G-d!? Their science was wrong, its conclusions would have been wrong too. And there’s no point in proving things from current science, since it’s always changing.

Reuven: We may be getting more and more knowledge, but that just shows more and more design. It doesn’t in any way show that earlier evidence of design was wrong. In earlier times, people were able to see the obvious design just from the external factors, by observing the sun and moon, the wind and rain, and the plants and animals. Now we understand (somewhat) the physics that allow the stars to exist, the perfect balance on Earth that allows it to function, and the amazing complexity of biological organisms that make them function. We can then recognize design even more, but even if we just know the end results, we also can. A person who uses a computer can tell quite clearly that the computer was designed and can appreciate it. If the person opens up the computer and studies the CPU, the hard drive or the programming, he sees even more how great the design of the computer is and he can appreciate it more. Science shows design even more and allows us to see actual proof of creation, so it’s not just a philosophical argument.

Simon: Fine, the universe is like a computer, but you still can’t prove design from science. If scientific knowledge made someone realize there’s design, no scientist would be an atheist. Since there are so many scientists who deny design, it’s not a good proof. You sound like those who say the earth is flat and animals spontaneously generate. They just say the scientists are stupid, evil heretics.

Reuven: I’m not denying that there’s free will. There is definitely liberty for someone to deny design, people are biased. Avraham was alone in his generation in recognizing the design in the universe. Everyone else thought there were various forces running the universe. There was a sun-god, a rain-god, some animal gods and many more. They believed there were many human-like gods, which was easier to imagine than an All-Powerful G-d and it had came with less moral restrictions. But Avraham was able to recognize that polytheism was wrong. He realized the sun and the rain and the animals were a designed system, and Someone had to have designed them.
It was far more difficult for Avraham to reject the polytheism and decide on a new theory of monotheism than it is for us. Just like we can understand Newton’s laws without being as smart as Newton, we can know there is one G-d without being as great as Avraham, the Rambam or Newton; they did some of the thinking for us.
Nowadays, we also see far greater complexity. Polytheism has been disproved by the unity shown in the laws of the universe. No one can believe in a wind god or a sun god when we know the principles behind them. (That’s why Newton rejected the Trinity after discovering the laws of the universe.) But the desire to only believe in physical things and to be free from restrictive morals still exists. That’s why there’s atheism. The scientist decides to only believe in physical things, so he rejects the idea of a G-d. He is forced to rely on Darwinian Evolution to explain the undeniable complexity of the Universe. Even if Darwinian evolution was a good theory, it still shouldn’t help the atheist. The end-result shows so much design that the process that made it happen clearly had a designer.
What about the fact that creation is proven since we can detect the big-bang? The scientist also has explanations. This universe could have sprouted from another which in turn could have come from another, similar to the infinite-pile-of-turtles theory. Or maybe the universe expands and then starts shrinking, crunches together and then has another big-bang (this theory has been disproved).
The scientist agrees that the universe appears to show design, he just claims he can explain it. We accept the scientific facts, but point out his explanation isn’t satisfactory nor does it help his claim. This is very different from denying scientific facts.

Simon: That was rather rambling and didn’t explain it very well.

Metzitzah B'Peh Summary

[I had been force to remove this post from my other blog, but now that it’s summer, I’m republishing it.]

The newest edition of Hakirah has an article available online about metzitzah b'peh (in pdf).

In the article he explains the historical medical background to metzitzah - the hellenic system of medicine thought blood was attracted to cuts and could decay and form pus, so it was necessary to get the blood to flow from a cut to prevent disease. (The fact that blood circulates was only discovered in the 1600's and the fact that pathogens cause disease only in the 1800's.) He quotes R' Nachum Rabinovitch who compares the Rambam's requirement for metzitzah to the Rambam’s suggestion to suck the blood out after a snake bite (Yad Peshutah on Sefer Ahava). Modern-day rationals for doing MBP are quoted and refuted. The next part shows that metzitzah b'peh is a danger and many cases are cited where it rchltl’z caused harm to infants. He aslo tells the the history of it, and p'saks about it into the 1800's. He then discusses the p'sak of the chasam sofer who didn't even consider metzitzah b'peh to be a minhag. He concludes that if most of the litvishe gedolim accepted that MBP was a danger, surely now, when we know much more about transmission of diseases, we shouldn't risk it.

Halachic question: note 67 quotes R' Low who in 1850 said you could do MBP on shabbos since it has no benefit so it is only forbidden d'rabanon [mekalkel] which can be allowed since [he considers] it a minhag yisrael. According to those who don't consider it a minhag, would they be allowed to do metzitzah (even not b'peh) on shabbos?

The Camel, the Hare and the Hyrax is being sold!

The Camel, the Hare and the Hyrax by Nosson Slifkin is being sold here on eBay.

From eBay:

This book is out of print at Yashar Books.
I did a search for this book and it's only available at two other places online: at Amazon for $82 and on Half.com for $100, both used.

The book is in very good condition, it doesn't appear to have ever been read. There are some very slight scratches on the cover that are barely visible. The blank page at the beginning of the book and the inside of the back cover have been been stamped with the word "cancelled". The pages are all in perfect condition.

There has been much controversy about this book. Don't miss this oppurtunity to buy it!

Bid on The Camel, the Hare and the Hyrax by clicking here.

[Update: it's too late.]