“With ten ma’amoros (utterances) the world was created. And what does this teach us? Couldn’t the world have been created with one ma’amar? Rather to take retribution from the reshaim who destroy the world that was created with ten ma’amoros and to give reward to the tzadikim who sustain the world that was created with ten ma’amoros”
-- Avos 5:1
What were the ten ma’amoros? They were divine ordinances, but were they just a natural process of creation or were they actual unnatural interventions that created the world? A parallel question can be asked about Intelligent Design. The universe clearly shows evidence of design but can the process of creation still be explained naturally? Science has explained many things that before were simply attributed to G-d, so maybe it can explain the process of creation as well. People used to explain why leaves change color and why it rains by saying G-d causes it, it’s like a miracle, but now we know that the system can be explained with natural laws, the system G-d created. Perhaps creation is similar. Instead of just saying that G-d created all the plants and animals, maybe we can also explain the natural process that happened. In other words, is Intelligent Design just a logical conclusion that can be seen from looking at evolution or is it a necessary explanation for what evolution can’t explain naturally?
Most scientists claim they can explain the existence of all living things just with Darwinian Evolution, but it doesn’t actually work. Small changes cannot explain the great differences between different categories of animals, and the fossil record goes against it. Another evolutionary theory, Punctuated Equilibrium, says the changes happened very quickly after long periods of equilibrium. This theory doesn’t really explain why nature should work like that, but it does fit the fossil record better. Intelligent Design can explain why there would be major changes and how such an organized system would be the end-result.
From the Torah, it seems that there were separate events that weren’t natural. Although only the beginning was creation ex nihilo, each ma’amar seems to be more than just the flow of nature. Some people don’t like this idea and feel it must all have been natural, B’raishis is
just hashkafic. They basically feel that G-d could have created the world with just one ma’amar so surely He did. Why ‘bother’ with 10 ma’amoros? Of course, this is the issue dealt with by the Mishnah. The Mishnah explains that the 10 ma’amaros bring reward and punishment into the world; the world is more valuable because of the ma’amoros that made it. To say the only ‘miraculous’ act was creation is almost like Deism, it sounds like saying G-d has no more part in the world. But G-d does, and the ten ma’amoros show that our actions make a difference. When someone sins, he is destroying a world that was created with much ‘effort’ and something the Creator is still actively involved in.
A similar issue arises with nissim – some claim miracles don’t break any laws of nature, they’re just unlikely events that still show G-d is in charge. The sea split naturally because of the wind and just at the time the Jews needed to get across. They feel G-d doesn’t need to break the laws of nature, He’s able to run the world within the system of nature. Also, the greatest wonder is nature itself, so miracles aren’t necessary.
This view is somewhat meaningless nowadays because quantum physics basically says anything could happen, if the smallest particles move in unlikely enough ways. The sea can split naturally even without wind; everything is just probabilities. Anyway, it’s incorrect to say the laws of nature are never broken. G-d intervenes in nature not because He needs to, but to show that He exists, is involved in the world, and we matter to Him. The same thing can be figured out logically, but won’t be strong enough to withstand pagan influences. Avraham was able to convince many people to believe in One God, but his followers' descendants didn’t remain monotheists. Even the Jews themselves became idol worshipers during the exile in Egypt. G-d revealed Himself with miracles so Judaism could better overcome false ideologies.
Some still feel the laws of nature were never broken because it seems quite strange, and doesn’t appear to happen nowadays. But those days were different. There appeared to be all sorts of different forces in the world, and paganism was the dominant ideology. Even a miracle didn’t remove bechirah completely, there was no known system of nature yet. When there was still idolatry, there could still be prophecy and miracles could also be more frequent. Nowadays, the miracles are more hidden than krias yam suf (though still show that history is being guided).
Some feel the unnatural is greater than nature; all of creation was completely miraculous, nature itself isn’t worth studying except for the parts we don’t understand which are the most wondrous. But this is also incorrect. The greatest wonder is not miracles, but nature itself. And the most amazing things in nature are systems we understand the most complexity of. Although it may be amazing how birds can get south, even more amazing is the complexity of photosynthesis. The greatest niflaos ha’boreh are not seen by looking at the gaps in our knowledge. The Mishnah asked a very strong question, why the interventions were necessary at all. We would think it should just all be nature. But ma'amoros and miracles have a purpose. G-d is still involved in the world and the choices we make matter.
