Chasidut zu Pirkei Avot 5:6

עֲשָׂרָה דְבָרִים נִבְרְאוּ בְּעֶרֶב שַׁבָּת בֵּין הַשְּׁמָשׁוֹת, וְאֵלּוּ הֵן, פִּי הָאָרֶץ, וּפִי הַבְּאֵר, וּפִי הָאָתוֹן, וְהַקֶּשֶׁת, וְהַמָּן, וְהַמַּטֶּה, וְהַשָּׁמִיר, וְהַכְּתָב, וְהַמִּכְתָּב, וְהַלּוּחוֹת. וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים, אַף הַמַּזִּיקִין, וּקְבוּרָתוֹ שֶׁל משֶׁה, וְאֵילוֹ שֶׁל אַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ. וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים, אַף צְבָת בִּצְבָת עֲשׂוּיָה:

Zehn Dinge wurden am Vorabend des Sabbats in der Dämmerung geschaffen [dh am Vorabend des Sabbats der Schöpfung vor seiner Vollendung]: die Mündung der Erde [um Korach und seine Gemeinde zu verschlingen], die Mündung des Brunnens [von Miriam, die Israel auf all seinen Reisen in der Wüste begleitete. (Einige sagen, dass es seinen Mund öffnete und sang (Numeri 21:17): "Steh auf, oh, sing ihr!"], Der Mund von [Bilams] Esel, [In der Dämmerung wurde beschlossen, dass er mit Bilam spricht ], der Regenbogen [als Zeichen des Bundes, dass keine zweite Flut stattfinden würde], das Manna [das vierzig Jahre in der Wüste für Israel herabstieg], der [Saphir-] Stab, [mit dem die Zeichen ausgeführt wurden], der Schamir [eine Art Wurm von der Größe eines Gerstenkorns. Als sie ihn über die mit Tinte gemusterten Steine hielten, trennten sie sich. Damit bildeten sie die Steine des Ephods und des Choshen, nämlich (2. Mose 28:20) ): "Mit ihren (genauen) Füllungen"], der Schrift, [der Form der Buchstaben auf den Tafeln], der Inschrift, [von allen vier Seiten gelesen] und den Tafeln. [Sie waren aus Saphir. Ihre Länge war sechs (ells), ihre Breite war sechs, und ihre Dicke war drei, wie ein Stein, dessen Länge und Breite und Dicke einheitlich sind. Es wurde in zwei geteilt. Und sie wurden gerollt und aus t gehauen Die Sonnenkugel.] Einige sagen, auch der Mazikkin, [die Dämonen. Nachdem der Heilige gesegnet war, schuf er Adam und Eva, war er mit ihrer Schöpfung beschäftigt, und als er ihre Geister schuf, hatte er ihre Körper bis zum Aufkommen des Sabbats nicht erschaffen, so dass sie Geister ohne Körper blieben Grab Moses und der Widder unseres Vaters Abraham. [In der Dämmerung wurde beschlossen, dass es von seinen Hörnern im Dickicht gefangen wird]. Einige sagen: Auch die Zange aus einer Zange. [Die Zange besteht nur aus einer anderen Zange. Und wer hat die erste Zange gemacht? Perforce müssen wir sagen, dass es von selbst gemacht wurde (dh vom Himmel); und es wurde in der Dämmerung erstellt. Dies wird von der Gemara (Pesachim 54a) abgelehnt, die besagt, dass die erste Zange in eine Form gegossen und sofort geschmiedet werden könnte.]

Sha'ar HaEmunah VeYesod HaChasidut

In the Midrash Rabbah (Beshalach) we find the statement, “When God created the world, He made a condition with the sea that it would split when the children of Israel would leave Egypt.” If so, how is this considered a miracle, if it was instilled in the nature of creation? Pirkei D’Rebbi Eliezar (chap. 18) gives numerous examples of miracles that were programmed into the creation from its outset.³³⁵Such as the manna in the desert, the miraculous rock that gave water, the hole in the earth that swallowed Korach and his cohorts. See, also, Pirkei Avot 5:6. For, if it were said that they were not preprogrammed into nature, one could claim that God changed His will.³³⁶That is, G-d’s deciding to change the order of nature, which He established with the very creation of the world, implies a change in His will or intention in response to events in this world. Yet, G-d’s immutability is an axiom of Jewish faith. The Maharal of Prague discusses this at length in the introduction to his book, Gevurot Hashem, and provides many opinions on this subject. After presenting these opinions, he explains that there are two forms of Divine governance: a natural governance, and a miraculous governance. Both are worked into the general order of Divine governance. The difference is that natural governance is always happening, while miraculous governance is revealed only at the time of the miracle. Furthermore, the order can be changed in response to the recipient. For instance, if the Egyptians had repented, the sea would not have split, even though its splitting was set as a condition in the very fabric of creation. This is because the natural order follows the attribute of God’s judgment, and the miraculous order follows the attribute of God’s mercy. ³³⁷Again, the contradiction is, “If God made a condition with the Red Sea that He would create it only if it would split before the Children of Israel at the time of the exodus, then how could the Sages teach us that if the Egyptians had repented at the time, it would not have split?” This is resolved by seeing the splitting as a part of “natural governance,” or God’s judgment, and the revelation of the miracle as part of “miraculous governance,” flowing from God’s mercy. Ironically, the splitting of the sea was not a miracle, since it was preprogrammed in the creation. The miracle would have occurred had the Egyptian soldiers repented, and the sea not split. Because of this, the mode of governance can change according to the status of the receiver. This does not imply any change whatsoever in God’s essence, for no actions can affect any change in His essence.³³⁸As the verse states: “For I am G-d, I do not change” (Malakhi 3:6) Changes in the Divine governance of the world do not indicate a change in God’s essence. In the same passage, the Maharal explains the miracle of the sun standing still for Yehoshua (Yehoshua 10); for the sun was moving and standing still at the same time.³³⁹That is, the sun stood still in the sky for the Israelites, until they defeated their enemies in battle, while for the rest of the world, it moved through the sky normally. According the natural governance, the sun was moving as usual, and according to “miraculous governance’, it stood still. Two opposites existed in the same event. This is a synopsis of his words, which are correct, and (Mishlei, 24:26) “every man shall kiss the lips of one who gives a true answer.” There are many proofs and real wonders, for with miracles, two opposites can exist simultaneously.

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Kedushat Levi

Numbers 23,22. “the G’d Who has brought them out of ‎Egypt.” Rashi draws our attention to the fact that ‎Bileam had to retract a statement he had made when speaking to ‎G’d in answer to His question who the men were that had come to ‎visit him. (Numbers 22,9) At that time he had attributed Israel’s ‎exodus from Egypt as being due to their own efforts, i.e. ‎העם ‏היוצא ממצרים‎. He has now been forced to admit publicly that it ‎was G’d Who had brought the Jewish people out of Egypt.
We have a rule that “awakening, initiative,” can start either ‎in the celestial regions or in the terrestrial regions. Every person ‎can be the cause of G’d relating to him with the attribute of ‎Mercy by simply improving the number of credits he accumulates ‎through his good deeds. Based on this he may appeal to G’d to use ‎His attribute of mercy in dealing with him. Invoking the merits of ‎the patriarchs, however, in other words, mobilizing forces of ‎mercy whose sources are in the “higher world,” is something only ‎members of the Jewish people are able to do.
‎[Very doubtful, as King Chiskiyah, invoking his merits ‎when asking G’d to let him live longer, was told by G’d that he ‎was granted this extension only due to the merits of his ancestor ‎David. Compare Kings II 20,1-5. Ed.]‎
This is what the wicked Bileam referred to when he said to G’d ‎הנה העם יצא ממצרים‎, “here we have this nation that departed from ‎Egypt, etc.” When crediting the Exodus to the Jewish people ‎themselves, Bileam meant that this people by dint of their own ‎merits aroused sufficient forces of the attribute of Mercy to bring ‎about their redemption.‎
In order to show how wrong Bileam was, our sages in ‎‎Avot chapter 5, list 10 “trials that the Jewish people had ‎subjected G’d to, i.e. 10 collective sins, instead of ten collective ‎merits which had resulted in their redemption. G’d indicated to ‎Bileam that the attribute of Mercy which after being “awakened” ‎by our patriarchs reminded G’d of His promise to them, that the ‎Exodus was put in motion. It was the accumulated merits of the ‎patriarchs which were the major factor in the redemption of the ‎Jewish people from their cruel fate in Egypt. This is a factor that ‎may come to the aid of the Jewish people, but never to the aid of ‎the gentiles.‎ ‎

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