Watching the Weather

The news lately seems to center around two kinds of upheavals: political and meteorological. The latest event--the devastating earthquake in New Zealand--follows on the heels of a massive cyclone hitting Western Australia and a blizzard that affected 39 out of the 48 continental states in the US. (My husband and I were caught in that blizzard, spending six hours getting from Brooklyn to Fair Lawn.) Whenever I hear about extreme (and often destructive) natural events, I wonder how I am supposed to respond to them. Are these simply "natural" events--outcomes of the complex interconnection of all the forces (physical, atmospheric, chemical) found in and around our planet? Or are these messages directly from Hashem that we ignore at our own risk?

No human can see Hashem directly; the "works of His Hands" are what we have to come to some kind of understanding of Hashem. Perhaps the most "obvious" of Hashem's handiworks is the natural world. Nature is something that is truly awe-some: whether it is the Grand Canyon or the wings of a bee, fall foliage or the perfection of chemical reactions, Nature reflects the infinite amazing-ness of the Creator. When we look at what an earthquake can do--topple building and split open roads in a matter of seconds--we can only begin to imagine the force that Hashem has directly. When we think about all the things that need to go right in order for a human to be formed and born, much less born healthy, that understanding can leave you breathless. But does that mean that each earthquake, each tornado, each baby born is a handwritten note from Hakadosh Baruch Hu? The Ramban at the beginning of Sefer B'reishit explains that Hashem created matter and all of the rules that govern it (what we call "nature") at the Creation. From then on, nature follows the rules that Hashem has programmed it with. The only "exception" is when there is a miracle and Hashem temporarily suspends natural law. So while an earthquake, a hurricane, a rainbow or a healthy baby may all be awe-inspiring, they are not miracles. They are reflections of Hashem's infinite brilliance, but not a direct communication from Him.

On the other hand, the nevi'im often tell Bnai Yisrael to look at natural events--whether political or meteorological--as direct messages from Hashem. Famine, plague, flood, disease, war and even peace are all direct messages from Hashem to us. They are sent to get us to remember Hashem's power, to remember our dependence on Him, to remember what we owe Him and to follow His commands. If we want to listen to the words of the nevi'im, shouldn't we look at everthing that happens as "yad Hashem"? Shouldn't we read nature as the email sent from G-d?

And yet, when people said, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, that it was a punishment for the sins of New Orleans, it horrified me. I don't feel that we have the right to come to those conclusions on our own. It is one thing when the Navi tells us directly, but it is another thing for us to presume we know what Hashem has in mind when disaster strikes or when Nature reveals its splendor. In my opinion, Nature is an amazing reflection of Hashem's omnipotence and infinite brilliance. It should inspire and humble us and remind us that we are, quite literally, in the palm of Hashem's hand. Hopefully, that inspiration and humility will motivate us to keep the mitzvot which Hashem commanded usand improve our relationship both with the Creator and with His Creations.

Mrs. Leah Herzog