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Nov. 23, 2009
JWisdom.com: Actually, it really is all about you with Rabbi Lawrence Hajioff
Nov. 20, 2009
Rabbi David Aaron: How to make every second of your life come first
Caroline B. Glick: Whither American Jewry
Nov. 19, 2009
Binyamin L. Jolkovsky: Please Listen to this Godcast (5 minutes)
Jonathan Tobin: ADL Crosses the Line with Report Bashing Obama Critics
Nov. 18, 2009
Rabbi Yonason Goldson: What Judaism has to say about the secret of the Mona Lisa's smile
JWisdom.com: The (Jewish) Dating Game with Rabbi Lawrence Hajioff (8 minutes)
Nov. 17, 2009
Steven Emerson: How Does the 4th Amendment Impact Terror Finance Investigations?
JWisdom.com: If Frank Sinatra married Edith Piaf with Rabbi Y.Y. Rubinstein (2 minutes) Life lessons from what would be regarded as the most inappropriate lyrics ever sung
Nov. 16, 2009
The Jewish Ethicist by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir : When borrowing is stealing
JWisdom.com: Deconstructing faith with Rabbi Warren Goldstein (9 minutes)
Nov. 13, 2009
JWisdom.com Sarah's subjective reality with Rabbi Sroy Levitansky ( 6 minutes)
Caroline B. Glick: Obama's failure, Netanyahu's opportunity
Nov. 12, 2009
The Kosher Gourmet By Marialisa Calta : A sweet sweet potato treat
JWisdom.com Does God get tired? with Rabbi Harvey Belovski ( 5 minutes)
Nov. 11, 2009
Rabbi Avi Shafran: Jews and money: When anti-Semitism isn't
JWisdom.com Marriages are not made in Heaven with Rabbi Lawrence Hajioff (VERY fast 15 minutes)
Nov. 10, 2009
Michael Doyle: Author of book exposing CAIR ordered to remove supporting documents from Web
JWisdom.com If the creation so loudly shouts the existence of the Creator, why aren't more people believers? with Rabbi Naftali Brawer (9 minutes)
Nov. 9, 2009
Mark Steyn: Shooter exposes hole in U.S. terror strategy
JWisdom.com It's never too late to have a happy childhood with Sarah Chana Radcliffe (5 minutes)
Nov. 6, 2009
Rabbi Berel Wein: Choosing to hear
JWisdom.com Zero to 1/60th: How to Empower An Hour with Gavriel Aryeh Sande (7 minutes)
Caroline B. Glick The mullahs' big week
Suzanne Fields A Fallen Wall for Fallen Man
Nov. 5, 2009
The Kosher Gourmet: Three scrumptious -- but simple -- butternut squash dishes
JWisdom.com Hidden Hints: Unlocking Faith & Prayer with Rabbi Jay Yaacov Schwartz (10 minutes)
Nov. 4, 2009
Tom Hamburger and Kim Geiger: Should prayers be covered?
JWisdom.com When God played peacemaker With Rabbi Sroy Levitansky (5 minutes)
Nov. 3, 2009
Martin Peretz: Beware, Barack. Beware, Rahm. Beware, Axelrod
JWisdom.com Are you are closet idolater? With Sara Yoheved Rigler (10 minutes)
Nov. 2, 2009
Paul Greenberg: The Holocaust is now on Facebook
JWisdom.com Abraham's Strange Change With Rabbi Yitzchok Fingerer (5 minutes)
Oct. 29, 2003
Mortimer B. Zuckerman: Graffiti On History's Walls (MUST-READ!)

Jewish World Review March 11, 2005 / 30 Adar I, 5765

Unmasking Nature: The Divine's Love is Here and Now

By Rabbi David Aaron

Re-thinking the need for revealed miracles


http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | According to Jewish Tradition, with the start of the Hebrew month of Adar, which begins today, we must increase our joy because the miracle of the Purim Story happened during that month.



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Purim celebrates the salvation of the Jews in the year 357 BCE from the wicked Haman's scheme to exterminate all the Jewish men, women and children living in the Persian Empire, which meant all the Jews in the world at that time. In the Purim story, however, there were no miraculous divine interventions. There were no supernatural plagues and no splitting of any seas. In fact, G-d's name is not even mentioned once in the entire Purim story recorded in the Book of Esther (Megillas Esther).


Although the holiday of Purim is celebrated only on the 14th of the month of Adar, and in some places on the 15th, the whole month is identified with greater joy. Purim is so abundant with joy that its celebration overflows into the entire month, from beginning to end.


Commentators long ago questioned why this is not so with the month of Nissan, in which the outright miracles of Passover occurred. After all, it was in Nissan that G-d performed supernatural feats to save the Jews from 210 years of slavery and cruel oppression of Egypt. On Passover we celebrate the miracles of the ten plagues, the beyond time exodus of the Jews from Egypt and the splitting of the sea.


Jewish tradition, however, teaches that the miracle of Purim is actually greater than the miracles of Passover because the ultimate revelation of G-d's power and ever-presence is when He does not have to interfere. This is the meaning of the Book of Esther -- the revelation of hidden-ness. Hidden within the natural world is G-d's presence. Within the free choice of people, G-d's will and plan are being completely fulfilled, step-by-step.


When G-d is depicted in conflict with the wicked, in battle against evil, this is not the ultimate manifestation of His absolute oneness and almighty ruling power. The greatest manifestation of G-d's truth is when we understand that G-d does not have to fight the villain. Rather no matter what choices the villain makes, he completely plays into and fulfills G-d's plan.


The open miracles of Passover attest to G-d's love and power to intervene on behalf of His beloved children, pass over judgment, overrule the laws of nature and overcome natural limitations and obstacles. But open miracles are not ideal.


The Hebrew word for miracle is neis, which is associated with the Hebrew word onneis, meaning to coerce or rape. When G-d performs an outright miracle it means that He forces, oppresses, violates and rapes nature to act against its natural way.


The events of Purim are a higher revelation of G-d's truth, illustrating how G-d works through humanity and within nature. In other words, that which occurs naturally is actually a greater revelation of G-d's power and omnipresence than miracles. Through nature we see harmony and cooperation. Rather than crushing all the forces that are against us, G-d uses them toward our future good. Because G-d's oneness embraces and fills all, there is no confrontation between G-d and man, the divine and nature. Nature and humanity are not violated by G-d's power and omnipresence but encompassed within it and filled with it.


On Purim, we celebrate the greatest revelation of G-d's truth and love. The hidden miracles of Purim reveal that His ruling power works through the choices of man and that His love for us is hidden within every occurrence and challenge of our lives. Therefore, we can trust that G-d's love and care is concealed even in the worst times of our lives. On Purim we acknowledge G-d's love for us is not only unconditional but also ever-present and forever. On Purim we celebrate trust.


One of the greatest feelings of joy is to know and experience life in holy harmony with G-d. Because of G-d's omnipresence and love, we can never go off course. We are always on target. Our task, however, is to know and feel this in our daily lives.

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JWR contributor Rabbi David Aaron is the founder and dean of Isralight, an international organization with programming in Israel, New York South Florida, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Toronto. He has taught and inspired thousands of Jews who are seeking meaning in their lives and a positive connection to their Jewish roots.

He is the author of the newly released, The Secret Life of G-d, and Endless Light: The Ancient Path of Kabbalah to Love, Spiritual Growth and Personal Power , Seeing G-d and Love is my religion. (Click on links to purchase books. Sales help fund JWR.) He lives in the old City of Jerusalem with his wife and their seven children.



© 2005, Rabbi David Aaron