Miracles then and now

In the opening verse of Bereishit, Rashi asks perhaps the most famous question in all of Torah: why does the Torah begin with the story of Creation? If its primary purpose is to convey commandments, it seemingly should start with the first mitzvah given to the Jewish people, which appears in this week’s parashah, Parashat Bo: “And God said to Moses and Aharon in the land of Egypt, ‘This month will be for you the first of the months of the year.’ (Exodus 12: 1-2)

Ramban (Nahmanides) responds to Rashi, asserting that the narrative of creation from nothing (yesh mi’ayin) or creatio ex nihilo) is foundational for belief. Without this account, we could not comprehend or believe in miracles like those of the Exodus, where God manipulates nature for His purposes. If God did not create the world, He could not control it. Thus, the story of Creation underpins our understanding of the miracles that define our belief in the God’s power and omnipotence.

In defense of Rashi, Maharal (Rabbi Yehuda Loew of Prague), in Gur Aryeh, challenges Ramban’s reasoning, claiming that the order is reversed. According to Maharal, it is through witnessing miracles that we come to understand that God created the world yesh mi’ayin. Miracles demonstrate God’s mastery over nature and affirm that He is the Creator. Creation is not merely a philosophical or theological theory testified to in Bereishit; God’s miraculous intervention in history confirms the divine creative act.

Claiming that miracles prove God’s creation of the world, Maharal disagrees with Rambam’s (Maimonides) well-known position regarding the necessity of miracles. In Chapter 8 of Yesodei HaTorah, Rambam states that the Jews’ faith in Moses as God’s messenger was not rooted in miracles. According to Rambam, Miracles were performed out of pragmatic necessity, not as a basis for belief. Faith in Moses, he argues, was ultimately grounded in the direct experience of divine revelation at Sinai, not in the wonders performed in Egypt.

Indeed, Rambam’s assertion is perplexing. The Torah explicitly links miracles to belief in God and Moses. For example, at the beginning of this week’s parashah, God tells Moses:

“Come to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, in order to put these signs of Mine in his midst, and so that you may tell in the ears of your son and your son’s son how I made a mockery of the Egyptians and how I performed My signs among them, and you will know that I am the Lord.” (Exodus 10:1-2)

Later, after the splitting of the sea in Parashat Beshalach, the Torah records:

“And Israel saw the great hand that the Lord inflicted upon Egypt, and the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in His servant Moses.” (Exodus 14:31)

These verses, which Jews recite daily in our morning prayers, seem to contradict Rambam’s claim. Clearly, the miracles performed in Egypt led to belief.

To further complicate matters, Maharal himself, in his introduction to Gevurot Hashem, addresses a similar tension. Psalm 106:2 states, “Who can speak of the great acts of God, one who can recount all His praises.” Based on the Psalm and the Talmud’s interpretation of the verse, Maharal argues that praising God for the miracles in Egypt is secondary to praising Him for creation, which is a greater display of divine power. He uses the metaphor of someone praising a king for his silver vessels while ignoring his golden ones. The miracles of Egypt, while remarkable, pale compared to the grandeur of creation. Thus, Maharal suggests that recounting miracles at the Seder is to express gratitude to God, not to define the essence of His greatness.

Rabbi Yitzchak Hutner offers a resolution in Pachad Yitzchak (Pesach 16). He argues that when God designates specific events, such as the miracles in Egypt, as vehicles for His praise, the relative greatness of creation versus miracles is no longer the issue. The miracles in Egypt were chosen by God to reveal His greatness, as explicitly stated in Exodus 10:1-2. Praising God for these miracles does not diminish His creation; it fulfills His will by acknowledging His active presence in history.

In our own times, we have witnessed events that remind us of this balance between grand miracles and seemingly more minor acts of divine intervention. The recent release of some of the heroic hostages from captivity has filled our hearts with gratitude. Everyone I know in Israel cried and rejoiced at their release, and please God, more will be released in the coming days. At the same time, we continue to mourn the ongoing suffering of those still held captive, the lives lost, and the unimaginable pain endured.

Sometimes, what seems small on a cosmic scale deserves immense praise.

We thank God for every hostage who comes home. We pray for the safe return of all the captives, for healing, and for lasting peace. May the redemption of or ancestors from Egypt be a sign to us today for a complete redemption.