Miraculous Nature : Part Three

We will now turn to nature itself. Is the sun rising in the morning a miracle? Is nature by itself a system that is in essence miraculous? If that is so then what does a miracle even mean? If everything is miraculous then it becomes superfluous and nonsensical to talk about a miracle as something separate from the ordinary workings of nature. 

If nature is not miraculous and the laws of nature are set in place by G-d and then given free rein then doesn’t that mean that there is a system of reality outside of the divine? A principle that Chassidic thought surely denies.

Chassidut actually subscribes to both sides of the coin. There are elements of nature that are miraculous i.e. non-natural. And there are elements that are entirely natural and ordinary. What we perceive as nature is a system that seamlessly blends both these elements of the divine and the mundane.

Let’s explore this a bit more. In essence there are two things about nature that are unnatural. One is the very existence of an ordered system of reality, in fact of any reality at all. This is more a statement about creation then it is a statement about miracles. In other words all we know from existence is that there is a G-d who created this universe. The reason we know this is because of the principle brought in Jewish philosophy called ein davar oseh et atzmah or “no being can create itself”. Therefore existence implies creation by Something. We don’t know if that Something is interested in this world and gets involved with the workings of man but we know He is there.

[This is only further amplified by Chassidut’s understanding of creation ex nihilo. Namely, that creation by definition is a constant and ongoing process. Since, in order for something other then Him to exist, it requires a powerful and consistent act of creation to bring it forth against the overwhelming truth of His existence. A topic of its own.]

The second unnatural element in nature is its unceasing strength. If nature was happenstance and not a product of the divine will, then one would expect a slow decreasing of it’s strength. This is because it is a basic fact of existence that over time items break down and lose strength. Suns die, planets stop spinning, people age, corpses decay; you get the picture. If that is the case then we should see a deterioration of the system of nature. Instead however, we see that nature is just as strong as it was thousands of years ago.

Therefore, we can know through reflection and contemplation, that there is a limitless divine energy in the system of nature giving it existence and force. It is this divine energy that maintains the system and enlivens it; to the extent that it never decreases in strength.

[It is important to bear in mind that the limitless energy is only in the system of nature as a whole. To each specific detail in nature comes a limited measure “amount” of divine energy to give it existence. The force we call gravity, has a specific amount of divine energy giving it power and applicability. This is so for several reasons, most notably that it is impossible for a limited framework (the force of gravity) to contain within it an unlimited energy. Therefore clearly the limitless energy is in nature as a whole. In the klal and not in the prat.]

This then is the paradigm we were seeking. A blend of limitation and infinite, nature and miracle, ordinary and supernatural. The blend is so complete and the intertwinement so absolute that one cannot even see anything extraordinary about nature. It seems to be a self-sustaining, self- generating closed system of forces and rules. Yet behind it all is the divine, the supernatural, the unlimited.

If this is so, then consider the implications that arise from this. We explained in last week’s post about the integrated miracle, the following:

“Counter-intuitively, a dominant miracle by definition contains a lesser lower level of divinity then an integrated miracle. This is because in order for an integrated miracle to occur there must be incredibly deep and lofty levels of divinity involved. Why is this? Think about the implications of an integrated miracle occurring. You have a situation in which the divine and the mundane are conversing and blending with each other. How is that possible? How can a finite system and an infinite system have any point of commonality and interaction between them? There is no starting point within which to engage in a shared dialogue.

The answer is that in order for this to occur there must be a third truly transcendent platform that facilitates a union between the infinite and the finite. This can only come from the essence of G-d Himself which is absolute and juggles the limited and the limitless all at once. For to be truly without limit means that one must be able to exist in limited forms as well. [A subject that deserves its own series of posts.] Therefore the integrated miracle must have some of the deepest levels of G-dliness involved, levels that are beyond even being defined as infinite, in order to bridge the limited-limitless divide.”

Now, if that is true about an integrated miracle then it is far more true for the system of nature itself. Because like we said last week, an integrated miracle at the end of the day is a miracle. Clearly, then, the blend is not complete.

However if there is an intertwinement of the natural and the divine within the system of nature itself, that then is setting the ground for an absolute synthesis, in which the natural and the supernatural merge seamlessly. So much so that one needs to reflect and ponder the inner workings of the system to realize that there is something transcendent about nature itself.

What follows is that the levels of divinity involved in our earthly realm and the system that governs it called nature, contains the essence of G-d Himself. For in order to have the two absolute opposites of nature and the divine merge so profoundly and utterly, there must be a third transcendent platform that facilitates this merging. This platform is G-d Himself for whom the natural and the supernatural are not opposites. They are simply different ways of expressing Himself.  Therefore He can mix the two and have a system which is natural and limited and yet unnatural and unlimited.

This is all just explaining how it is conceptually possible to have a merging of two absolute opposites into one fluid system. In next week’s essay we will explore the ramifications of saying that our earthly natural system of reality contains not just divinity but even something of the essence of G-d Himself.