think! again.

8 | JEWISH THOUGHT Environmental New Year

Long before Earth Day and Arbor Day, the Jewish calendar honors Tu BiShvat, the 15th of Shvat as the day that marks the beginning of a “New Year for Trees.”

— by Simon Jacobson

10 | LIFE ON EARTH

Ten Thoughts Most Relevant for Today

Of all the tens of thousands of pages and hours of audio/video of the Rebbe's teachings, here are ten points the Rebbe gave us that are of burning relevance today

— by Tzvi Freeman

18 | PERSPECTIVES The Evolution of Tu Bishvat

It seems as if half the people think one way, the other half think the opposite, with a clear line between them – those who are right and those who are wrong. What happened to the nuances?

— by Adin Even Yisrael Steinsaltz editorial jewish soul made you think jewish thought life on earth ask the rabbi our community simchas perspectives marketplace memorials

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Once upon a time, we experienced miracles as supernatural phenomena that were literally out of this world, blowing away the natural order and leaving an unmistakable and permanent mark on all who experienced them. The advantage of these miracles is the immutable character of the revelation; we have no option but to attribute a phenomenon that defies the laws of nature to the Creator; the only One who can break the rules is the One who made them. The exodus from Egypt, the splitting of the Red Sea, and the mysteries of the Temple are distinctly G‑dly in the manner and quality of their manifestation.

On the other hand, some miracles are experienced as intra natural where the phenomenon may be equally awesome, yet it conforms to the rules of the natural world. As a result, we can attribute the phenomenon to any number of causal factors, and we can deny its purpose or divine source. Improbable military victories, the story of Purim, and the power of healing are all miracles that, although they go against the grain, are still within the general realm of nature and can be easily explained using the physical parameters that define them.

It seems that the open, revealed miracles, the ones that are totally outside of nature, contain an incomparably greater spiritual quality. It is these miracles that imbue us, and the world around us, with a powerful and immediate sense of humility and make the presence and omnipotence of G‑d known in a very obvious way; they transport us out of the confines of everyday life and put us face to face with the truth. By contrast, the types of miracles that are garbed within natural phenomena seem to serve no greater purpose than to change gears and hasten the turning of the cogs that dictate the pace of history; because they don’t disrupt the natural order, they can pass undetected under our spiritual radar – even of those who are attuned to such things.

However, when an event is obviously supernatural, it doesn’t have a lasting impact; it necessitates that nature be temporarily set aside or distorted, but not actually transformed. When, on the other hand, events unfold in a way that maintains the natural order, rebelling from within, then nature itself is forced to take on a supernatural persona without divesting completely from its usual course. Thus, the nature of nature is transformed; instead of nature grudgingly stepping aside so that the divine will can have its way, nature itself changes in order to fulfill the divine will. editorial ad sales subscriptions donations fax e-mail web

Human life operates under a similar dichotomy. On the one hand, we can experience moments of tremendous inspiration that push us to do things that we otherwise wouldn’t consider possible. At these moments, our awareness of the self, knowledge of the divine, sense of purpose and vision of the objective we want to accomplish are heightened to the point that they overwhelm our usual inhibitions. But as the inspiration fades so does the resolve; because we cannot integrate the height of the inspiration into our being, it remains disconnected from it. If, on the other hand, the motivation comes from a more practical, down to earth process of self improvement and consciousness, then the resulting resolve is integrated into our being and becomes second nature; though the inspiration is not as high and the change less perceptible, our actual human nature changes, and the change has a lasting effect on who we are. For now, spiritual ecstasy and pragmatic self improvement each have their distinct time and place within the mosaic of human experience. In the future, with the coming of Moshiach, we will be able to experience the advantages of both lifestyles simultaneously. We will have the tremendous high of supernatural inspiration, but we will also be able to appreciate it to the extent that it can be internalized and lead to permanent change; we will experience miracles that operate within the natural order and transform it, but at the same time contain the quality of revelation now reserved for metaphysical phenomena. Because it will be an era in which peace will reign, including peace between concepts that are now paradoxical, we will be able to have our cake – the beauty and inspiration of spiritual transcendence –and eat it – the transformation that comes about through practical, down to earth integration.

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Exodus Magazine is a project of the Jewish Russian Community Centre of Ontario editor Izzy Greenberg editorial director Rabbi Levi Jacobson senior rabbi & founder Rabbi Yoseph Y. Zaltzman director Rabbi Mendel Zaltzman manager Michelle Ribinski jrcc board of governors Igor Korenzvit, Chair advertising sales Rina Merovitch advertising design Stacey Rimskey copy editor Sarah Feiga Krylov graphics & layout

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© 2022 JRCC. Published monthly by the Jewish Russian Community Centre of Ontario. Issue Number 243 (February 2023)

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