Every story has a lesson
In a few nights we will sit at the seder table together with those dearest to us, and tell and listen to the greatest and most important story ever told. B’ezras Hashem, we will once again discover that story to be powerful, deep, even surprising. But that is not enough. One of the basic elements of a good story, we must not forget, is the story’s lesson. Of course, we will not find the lesson written explicitly in the Haggadah. Every good storyteller knows that the lesson should never be explicit; rather, the reader is supposed to take out the lesson from the story.
The lesson of Yetzias Mitzrayim: recognizing the hidden miracles
What is the moral of the story of Yetzias Mitzrayim? There are many possibilities, but one of the most basic and important ones is articulated by the Ramban in his commentary on the Torah, in Parshas Bo (Shemos, 13:16): “ומן הנסים הגדולים המפורסמים אדם מודה בנסים הנסתרים שהם יסוד התורה כלה” – And from the great, open miracles, man comes to a recognition of the hidden miracles, which are the foundation of the entire Torah. Let us take a moment to examine his words in order that we should understand them properly.
Defining a “hidden miracle”
What is considered an open miracle, and what is considered a hidden miracle? At first thought, we would say that an occurrence for which there is no explanation based on natural science should be considered an open miracle, whereas any occurrence for which there exists a logical explanation would be considered hidden. However, we see from the words of the Ramban elsewhere that this is incorrect.
In Parshas Vayigash, the Ibn Ezra (Breishis, 46:23) questions the assertation of Chazal that Yocheved was born at the time that Yaakov Avinu entered Mitzrayim. He notes that if this were true, it would mean that Yocheved was one hundred and thirty years old when she gave birth to Moshe Rabbeinu. Being that this would be an even more impressive miracle than Sarah Immeinu giving birth to Yitzchak at the age of ninety, how could the Torah neglect to make note of Yocheved’s incredibly advanced age? The Ramban (Breishis, 46:15) answers that the miracle of Yitzchak’s birth was noted by the Torah because it was foretold by the malach. Only a miracle foretold by a prophet or a malach is emphasized by the Torah, because otherwise it is considered a hidden miracle, of which there are many.
If the definition of a hidden miracle is a miracle for which there exists no explanation based on natural science, then Yocheved giving birth at the age of one hundred and thirty should certainly qualify, whether or not it was predicted by a prophet. There is no scientific explanation for such a thing. We need to redefine what is meant by a “hidden miracle”.
A new definition of a hidden miracle
An open miracle is a miracle which expresses a clear message from the Borei Olam. When the miracle is foretold by a prophet, we know the Borei Olam is speaking to us and what He wants to say. A miracle which is not foretold by a prophet is a hidden miracle because the message is hidden. Of course, we know that something miraculous took place – a woman gave birth at the age of 130 – but what does Hakadosh Baruch Hu want from us? What does He want to tell us? That is a hidden miracle.
The lesson of Yetzias Mitzrayim: Hakadosh Baruch Hu speaks to us
Now we can revisit the Ramban in Parshas Bo: “And from the great, open miracles, man comes to a recognition of the hidden miracles, which are the foundation of the entire Torah.” According to our new definition of a hidden miracle, the understanding is as follows: by contemplating the open miracles, where we see clearly that Hashem takes an interest in us and communicates with us through the world, we come to a realization that He is always speaking to us, through everything that happens, even if at times the message is unclear.
In the story of Yetzias Mitzrayim, the Borei Olam reveals Himself in miraculous ways and dramatically changes the course of history. His entire interaction with the world is geared towards Klal Yisroel; they are his audience. Through the miracles of Yetzias Mitzrayim He speaks to them and guides them, and there is a clear message, expressed by the greatest of prophets. The lesson for us to take out of this story is that in truth, Hakadosh Baruch Hu is always communicating with us, speaking to us through the world. We should live with an awareness that whatever happens to us contains within it a message from the Borei Olam.
This is not an easy Avodah. We would much rather hear the message in advance, so that we could know clearly what is expected of us. Instead, we have to work without clarity, and constantly try to listen and decipher more and more: where is Hakadosh Baruch leading us, what does He want from us? But it is an Avodah with great benefits: the Borei Olam is present in the world, life is important and meaningful, and we are constantly being educated and challenged. The message may be hidden, but there is a message!