There is an attempt to minimize miracles in Tanakh, either by suggesting that certain seemingly supernatural phenomenon did not occur at all, or by suggesting that the events did not contravene the laws of nature.
Certain verses in Tanakh which appear to describe a violation of the laws of nature are reinterpreted and understood not to have happened in reality.
Methods used – This approach
The Snake in the Garden of Eden – Philo and Ralbag understand the story of the Garden of Eden to be an allegory,
1 with the snake acting only as a symbol.
2 As such, the serpent never talked.
Bilam's donkey – According to Rambam and Ralbag, Bilaam's entire encounter with the donkey and angel only took place in a prophetic dream, so here, too, no animal spoke.
The sun standing still – According to this position, the sun never stopped. The verse which implies that it did is explained in one of two ways [For a full discussion, see
Stopping of the Sun at Givon]:
- People's perspective - Ralbag3 maintains that the celestial bodies did not actually stop in their track, but rather that, due to the speed of the nation's victory over their enemies, there was a perception that time stood still. [The great accomplishment made the soldiers feel as if the day had been lengthened.]
- Metaphoric language - R. Walfish4 suggests that the description of the sun's standing still is simply a metaphoric way of expressing how the forces of nature aided Israel in battle.5
Reviving the "dead" – According to one opinion in Radak, the boy that Eliyahu revived had never died, but was only very sick and unconscious. His pulse and breathing were so faint (or non-existent) that his mother thought him dead. Eliyahu, thus, did not miraculously bring him back from the dead but rather resuscitated him.
The End of Days – According to Rambam, the prophecies regarding changes in nature in the end of days (such as Yeshayahu 11:6) should be understood allegorically, as referring to world peace, and not actual changes in the behavior of animals.
The Plagues, Splitting of the Sea
Mutable Nature – According to Rambam, nature is immutable, and therefore Hashem does not perform miracles (since this would violate nature's immutability), and will not perform world-changing miracles even in the end of days.
Divine providence
Purpose of miracles
Human agency
Stories which mentions wondrous, seemingly unnatural events, happened in reality, but never violated the laws of nature. Elements of these stories which appear to violate these laws must be reinterpreted to match the laws of nature.
Sources:Artapanus, R. Saadia Gaon in
Ibn Ezra6, Chivi in
Ibn Ezra,
R. Yosef Bekhor Shor,
Rambam,
Radak,
R. Yosef ibn Kaspi,
Ralbag,
Abarbanel,
Shadal,
R. David Zvi Hoffmann,
U. Cassuto The Snake in the Garden of Eden – According to R. Saadia in Ibn Ezra, the snake did not actually speak. Instead, an angel spoke, and pretended to speak for the snake. Alternatively, an anonymous explanation brought by Ibn Ezra suggests that Chava understood the snake's hissing to mean what the Torah says in his name, but the snake did not actually speak.
Angels
Yericho
Avraham's Guests – R"Y Bekhor Shor and Ralbag understand Avraham's guests to be human prophets, and not divine angels. Thus, they avoid the necessity of a physical manifestation of angels. For more detail, see the Humans approach of
Avraham's Guests – Angels or Men? Yaakov's Encounters With Angels – Ralbag states that Yaakov fought with an angel only in a dream, but that the dream caused Yaakov's thigh to be sore when he awoke in the morning. Alternatively, one can explain that Yaakov fought with a human assassin sent by Esav. For further elaboration, see
Wrestling With Angels and Men.
The Plagues in Egypt – R"Y ibn Kaspi and Abarbanel explain the plagues from the plague of frogs forward to have been caused by a simple chain of effects spawned by the plague of blood. Shadal, R. D"Z Hoffmann, and Cassuto all give natural explanations to various plagues, stating that the miracle was simply in the timing and severity of the plagues. For further elaboration, see
The Plagues – Natural or Supernatural? Splitting of Yam Suf – According to R"Y ibn Kaspi, various scholars cited by Shadal, and U. Cassuto, Yam Suf split as a natural result of the wind mentioned in Shemot 14:21 and the tides. Artapanus as cited by Eusebius and Chivi as cited by Ibn Ezra take this a step further, and state that the entire miracle was just a matter of Moshe knowing the tide schedule. For further elaboration, see
Yam Suf – Natural or Supernatural? Bilam's Donkey – According to R. Saadia in Ibn Ezra, the donkey did not actually speak. Instead, an angel spoke, and pretended to speak for the donkey. Alternatively, one can suggest that Bilam understood the donkey's braying to mean what the Torah says in her name, but the donkey did not actually speak.
Splitting the Jordan – Y. Braslavy
7 suggests that the Jordan split as a result of a rock fall which blocked the water flow.
Stopping of the Sun at Givon – A number of explanations were given to explain this miracles naturally. For further elaboration, see
Stopping of the Sun at Givon.
- According to certain explanations of Rambam, the magnitude of the victory caused the day to seem to be longer than usual in the Israelite perception, despite no celestial changes having occurred.
- Similarly, according to Ralbag, the day did not change, but rather the victory was so fast that it is described metaphorically as the sun standing still.
- Various modern scholars give other natural explanations for the miracle, such as the sun's position blinding the enemy,8 or a solar eclipse.9
Eliyahu and Elisha Resuscitating Children – Radak explains that when Eliyahu revived the child, he used natural methods. While Radak himself understood that the children were dead and that the revival was therefore contrary to the laws of nature, certain scholars
10 have suggested that the children were not actually dead (just unconscious) and Eliyahu and Elisha performed some form of CPR to revive them.
Stories of Angels – R. Saadia, as cited by Ibn Ezra, views angels as a perfectly natural phenomenon, which does not require further explanation to make it match the laws of nature (and can, in fact, be used to rationally explain other stories). In contrast, Ralbag views angels as unnatural, and finds alternative explanations
11 to all mentions of such.
Existence of Magic – According to this approach, mentions of non-divine magic in Tanakh should be understood as chicanery committed by charlatans. For example:
- Radak cites R. Shemuel b. Chofni who states that the witch of Ein Dor pretended to be Shemuel, and gives a natural explanation for how she was able to give an accurate "prophecy".
- Shadal gives a natural explanation for Paroh's mages turning their staves into snakes.
Prophecy and Nature
National vs. individual miracles