האמונה הנדרשת מבר ישראל
The faith required of a Jew
וי הִי בָּעֵת הַהִוא וַיֹּאמֶר אֲבִימֶלֶךְ וּפִיכֹּל שַר צ בָּאוֹ אֶל אַב רָּהָּם לֵאמֹּר אֱלֹקִ ים עִמ ךָ ב כֹּל אֲשֶר אַתָּה עֹּשֶה : (כא:כב)
At that time, Avimelech and Phicol, general of his legion, said to Avraham, “G-d is with you in all that you do.” (21:22)
Rashi explains: G-d is with you – because they saw that he had left the vicinity of Sodom safe and sound, and he waged wars with kings, and they fell into his hand, and his wife was remembered in his old age.
It is written in the holy seforim (see Noam Elimelech on Parashas Chayei Sarah) that if a person is impressed only by rare and extraordinary occurrences, considering them alone as miracles, it indicates some deficiency in his faith. Such a person implies that there is a natural order in the world, which operates independently, and only occasionally does Hashem command nature to deviate from its course. However, the truth is that there is no nature at all in the world; the world's existence at every moment is a miracle. As we say daily (in the blessing of Yotzer), 'המחדש בטובו בכל יום מעשי בראשית' - ‘Who renews in His goodness every day the work of creation.’ If we believe that the initial act of creation was miraculous, we must also believe that the renewal of creation every day is a miracle. This understanding applies both to the world as a whole and to every individual creation. A person must recognize that at every moment, Hashem sustains him and performs miracles and wonders for him.
A hint to this concept can be found in the event of Kriyas Yam Suf, where it is stated (Shemos 14:31), 'ויראו העם את ה' ויאמינו בה'' - ‘And the people feared Hashem, and they believed in the Hashem.’ The holy Zohar (part II, 55b) explains that whenever the Torah uses the term "people" (עָם), it refers to the mixed multitude (erev rav). According to this, the verse informs us that during the Splitting of the Sea, when the natural order was altered, even the erev rav marveled at the miracles and were inspired to faith. These individuals were still influenced by their flawed belief that there was nature in the world and that divine supervision was not constant. Therefore, their faith was strengthened only when they saw with their own eyes the changes in nature. However, Bnei Yisrael, who were steadfast in their faith, were not as astonished by the magnitude of the miracle, for they believed that even what is called "nature" is itself a miracle!
Well-known are the words of the Ramban on this topic (Shemos 13:16): ‘From the great and public miracles, a person comes to acknowledge the hidden miracles, which are the foundation of the entire Torah. A person has no share in the Torah of Moshe Rabeinu until they believe that all our affairs and experiences are miracles, with no element of nature or the customary way of the world—whether for the many or the individual. If one fulfills the commandments, his reward will bring him success, and if he transgresses them, punishment will cut him off; all by the decree of the Most High, as I have mentioned. The hidden miracles will become evident in the context of the collective, as described in the promises of the Torah concerning blessings and curses. As the verse states (Devorim 29:23-24): 'ואמרו כל הגוים על מה עשה ה' ככה לארץ הזאת ואמרו על אשר עזבו את ברית ה' אלקי אבותם' - 'And all the nations shall say, Why has Hashem done thus to this land? ... Because they forsook the covenant of Hashem, the G-d of their fathers.' This will make it clear to all the nations that it was from Hashem due to their punishment. And regarding obedience, it states (Devorim 28:10), 'וראו כל עמי הארץ כי שם ה' נקרא עליך ויראו ממך' - 'And all the peoples of the earth shall see that the name of Hashem is called upon you, and they shall fear you.' I will further explain this, with Hashem’s help.’ See there for further explanation.
From his words, it is clear that all of nature is indeed miracles dependent on divine providence, and all events in the world, whether general or specific, even if they appear clothed in natural processes, are necessarily due to the actions and behavior of creations.
It is well-known, as stated in the Zohar (Part III, 149b), that we must not say the Torah recounts stories simply for the sake of storytelling. Therefore, when the Torah tells us about Avimelech and Phicol, his general, approaching Avraham to make a covenant, it must be teaching us something. We can say that this is what Rashi reveals in his commentary: the reason Avimelech wanted to form a covenant with Avraham was because he observed an unnatural, miraculous conduct in three matters concerning Avraham. Through this, Rashi teaches us that the Torah aims to show the difference between a Jew and a non-Jew.
What we see here is the way of a non-Jew—one who attributes everything to nature and only acknowledges divine oversight when faced with supernatural occurrences. Even then, such acknowledgment does not necessarily extend to a belief in divine providence governing all, leaving the view that creation generally follows the natural order. This is illustrated by Avimelech's statement to Avraham: "Hashem is with you in all that you do," implying that the world operates naturally, except for rare individuals like Avraham, for whom Hashem maintains constant supervision.
The faith required of a Jew, however, is different. A Jew must believe that at every moment there is specific and miraculous hashgacha pratis over all creation and every individual within it.
Some may ask, if nature itself is unnatural, why did HKBH need to aid the Avos and the descendants of Israel in miraculous ways rather than always working within nature? The answer is that it is unrealistic to expect non-Jews to have such pure faith as to recognize that nature itself is a constant miracle. HKBH desired that, at the very least, there be an acknowledgment among the nations that there is a divine ruler. Therefore, He sometimes aided the Avos and Israel in extraordinary and miraculous ways so that even the nations would recognize that Hashem exists in the world. This is evident here, where the miracles performed for Avraham led Avimelech and Phicol to recognize Hashem. Similarly, Hashem instilled faith in Egypt through the signs and wonders, leading even Pharaoh, who initially denied Hashem ("I do not know Hashem" - Shemos 5:2), to ultimately believe. By the time of Yonah, Pharaoh even led his people to repentance due to his newfound faith and fear of Hashem Yisbarach.
The Ramban mentioned earlier supports this, explaining that the purpose of the miracles in Egypt was to demonstrate once and for all that Hashem exists on earth, and for this reason, these miracles were recorded in the Torah.
This is also why the Baal Shem Tov and his holy disciples would act beyond nature to sweeten judgments and assist their Jewish brethren. During times when many Jews were spiritually weakened by their circumstances, their faith needed reinforcement, which could only come by witnessing supernatural acts. Once their faith was strengthened, the righteous leaders instilled in them the pure belief that nature, too, is governed by God—a belief required of every Jew.
