Parashat Beshallach

Two of the miracles of Jewish history appear in this week’s parsha: the splitting of the Red (Reed) Sea and the provision of manna to sustain us during the forty years of wandering in the desert.

They are both miracles that fall in the category of phenomena that occur outside the normal run of nature. There is a debate among theologians and philosophers as to what constitutes a miracle. The word ‘nes’ implies that a miracle is a sign of Divine intervention in our world and suggests that miracles are deviations from the normal course of events and they remind us that G’d exists. Maimonides, on the other hand, asked us to consider that a miracle is when "the world runs its natural course" (The Laws of Kings 12:1) and the Baal Shem Tov said that the world is full of wonders and miracles but that we “cover our eyes” and see nothing. In other words, a miracle does not necessarily fall outside the laws of nature.

Normally when we read this parsha, we are beginning to prepare for Purim. It is only in a leap-year like this one – we are the latest of our 19-year cycle – that Purim is still some time away. On Purim we thank G’d for the miracles that occurred in saving us from destruction but the story of Purim, as told in the Book of Esther, does not include any explicit Divine intervention in human history. In the case of Purim, as in most cases, the miracle was ‘hidden’.

The splitting of the Red Sea was a dramatic single event, and has imprinted itself on Jewish memory and in history as one of the most amazing and unrepeatable moments in human experience. The provision of manna is different. Some see it as a metaphor for human sustenance in every situation. Although we imagine that we provide for our own needs, perhaps we need to consider that it is, indeed, a miracle that we can feed ourselves. It is a miracle when the earth is fertile, a miracle when the weather permits us to plant and to harvest, it is a miracle when humans have the skills to manufacture food from the raw ingredients, a miracle when the transport system and the retail system allow the food to be available to us for purchase and a miracle when we have the money to buy the food.

 Some people even say a special blessing associated with this week’s parsha.

In doing so, they are recognising that our sustenance today is no less miraculous that the provision of food during the forty years of wandering.