By
Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
Tifereth Israel Synagogue, San Diego
One of the definitive events of Jewish history and consciousness was the
Israelites crossing the Sea of Reeds after their flight from Egypt.
As the Egyptian army gave chase, the Israelites were stopped in their tracks by
the waters of the sea. Fearing the end was near, they complained to Moses:
"Was it for the want of graves in Egypt that you brought us to die in the
wilderness?" (Exodus 14:11) Moses reassured them and told them that God
would deliver them to safety.
God told Moses to hold his arm over the waters and "the Lord drove back the
sea with a strong east wind all that night, and turned the sea into dry ground.
The waters were split, and the Israelites went into the sea on dry ground, the
waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left." (Exodus
14:21-22)
The Israelites crossed to the other side in safety. When the Egyptians pursued,
God brought the waters down upon them, drowning Pharaoh's army.
So awesome and wondrous was this event that it is enshrined in our daily
prayers. Twice a day, in the morning and evening, Jews chant a portion of the
Song of the Sea, the epic poem the Israelites recited in thanksgiving for their
salvation, immediately after the Shema:
Who is like you, O Lord, among all that is worshiped!
Who is, like You, majestic in holiness,
awesome in splendor, working wonders!
(Exodus 15:11 and Siddur)
While there are those who are skeptical about the existence of miracles, many
others are not. Believers in miracles assert that since God created the laws of
nature, God can break or manipulate the laws of nature as needed.
They do not believe that God plays dice with the universe (to paraphrase Albert
Einstein), but rather that these miracles are part of God's great plan. In this
sense, what we call a "miracle" is not a break in the natural order,
but already part of it.
Inasmuch as human beings are created Betzelem Elokim, in the Image of
God, we also have permission to affect the natural order. Medical and scientific
research, for example, is not only permitted but encouraged if it can improve
and enhance human life.
However, the permission given to human beings to alter nature is not absolute.
Asserting that human beings are created Betzelm Elokim is not the same as
claiming that human beings have the same prerogatives and authority as God.
There is a vast difference between humans acting in accordance with the Divine
Will and believing they have the authority and wisdom to take
God's place.
The alleged cloning of a human being by "Clonaid" seems to me to be an
overstepping of the human prerogative to help and heal. It is, instead,
"playing God." It is an attempt to create a human being in our image
instead of in God's.
The midrash teaches that one of God's miracles is God's stamping all human
beings with the image of Adam, yet each and every one of us is a unique
creation. Cloning attempts to circumvent that miracle. Cloning of human beings
can not only lead to abuse, it is also an affront to Divine creativity.
The Torah teaches us that the world was given to Adam and Eve, and thus to us,
"to till and to tend." We have a responsibility to care for the world
it and not to abuse it. The holiday of Tu B'Shevat, which is celebrated this
Shabbat, reminds us of our interconnectedness and responsibility toward the
natural world. Tu B'Shevat (literally the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Shevat)
is, according to the Talmud, the "New Year of the Trees." Originally,
this date
was used to calculate when the annual tithes from fruit trees should be
collected. Today, Tu B'Shevat reminds us of our dependence on nature and our
obligation to care for the environment and not exploit it.
On Tu B'Shevat we are reminded that even if human beings have the power to
manipulate, interfere with and even destroy the world, we must manifest such
power wisely. Just because human beings are able to do something, it does not
mean that we should.
Only God should "play God" We, humans, need to be more careful and
circumspect.
As Midrash Kohellet teaches: "When God created the first human beings, God
led them around the Garden of Eden and said: 'Look at my works! See how
beautiful they are, how excellent! For your sake, I created them all. See to it
that you do not spoil and destroy My world. For if you do, there is no one else
to repair it." (Midrash Kohellet Rabbah 1 on Ecclesiastes 7:13,
translation UAHC)
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