Every other week, I lead a group of 11-14 year olds at one of the synagogues in Leeds. I take them out after Kriat haTorah and do a little bit of tefillah and run a little discussion. Last week there were very few people there because there was a big barmitzvah in one of the other synagogues. In one way, this is negative because there are less people benefitting and thus, reduces the atmosphere. In another way, it is positive because the discussion can be a bit more “in depth”. This, however, carries its own challenges!
I
The problem is- in short- that my ‘Orthodox’ credentials are not impeccable. Or at least, I do not subscribe to currently fashionable Orthodox beliefs. Now this leads to a pedagogical dilemma. I have a responsibility to the synagogue to teach them in a way consistent with Orthodox ideology. I would not be doing my job if I was leading them to believe something that was inconsistent with what the rabbi may believe. However, I also have a duty of emet- not to teach them something that isn’t true.
This dilemma is particularly perspicuous in the case of hashgacha peratit where the ‘Orthodox view’ does not seem to be the view of many Rishonim. That is, most Orthodox people would say that everything is due to hashgacha peratit, and that G-d directly intervenes directly to adjust occurrences due to an individual’s actions. However, Ramban says that (both explicit and hidden) miracles are only performed the completely righteous or completely wicked; Rambam says individual providence is only for the intelligent (and not for wicked/stupid at all); and Ralbag believes there is no real hashgacha peratit at all. So what should one say when the issue comes up?
It came up in this group, last week. One of the kids said that the perfectly perceptive point that not everything beautiful that G-d created is necessarily positive/ good. He furnished this with the example of Noach’s rainbow. Whilst a rainbow is beautiful, one of the clergy told him that rainbow only appears [is caused?] when G-d is angry at the actions of humanity. That is, a rainbow is a direct result of ill-doing. In contradistinction to this explanation, I believe a rainbow is one of the “acts of creation” and is a result of other natural causes. As such, a rainbow is not in itself bad and is perfectly appropriate to admire its beauty.
The way out [cop out?] of this dilemma is to ‘hedge your bets’. You have to give a completely true explanation but in a way that doesn’t directly contradict what the rabbi says. Thus, one leads them to the truth without consciously setting up the two views as opposing. They probably wouldn’t even realise there are two views. So, in this case, I said something like, “Well yes, when there is a rainbow we have to remember the story of Noach and consider humanity’s actions. We may be acting in a way that merits G-d destroying us, and this reminds us to correct this”.
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The view I said is a Jewish view, if not a commonly Orthodox one. Below is a quote from Ramban, where he accepts that a rainbow is part of the “regular order of the world” and not due to a specific act of hashgacha peratit- even for Noach himself!
"This is the sign of the covenant that I give" - It would seem from this sign that the rainbow which appears in the clouds is not part of the acts of creation, and only now did God create something new, to make a rainbow appear in the sky on a cloudy day… But we are compelled to believe the words of the Greeks, that the rainbow is a result of the sun's rays passing through moist air, for in any container of water that is placed before the sun, there can be seen something that resembles a rainbow.
It would be nice- on first reading- that G-d specifically made the rainbow anew for the specific purpose of warning humanity. However, we are ‘compelled’ to accept that rainbows are part of “creation” that happen regularly when sun rays pass through moist air.
This doesn’t mean that Ramban thought that rainbows were natural or independent of G-d’s control. Ramban didn’t believe- at least in hyperbole- that there was such a thing as ‘nature’ at all. Everything that happens is directly caused by G-d. It is in this sense that “everything is a miracle”. However, in the instance when he says that miracles only happen for completely righteous or wicked, he uses “miracle” to mean a deviation from the regular order. Whilst in terms of mechanism G-d specifically causes the rainbow, the reason is not due to specific happenings here on earth. The rainbow is part of the “regular order” and so not due to hasgacha peratit.
The rainbow does have symbolic meaning, as I explained to the kids, in leading us to teshuva. May humanity live up to G-d’s plan.
