Miracles play a large role in the story of Bnei Yisrael being freed from Mitzrayim. They first appear when Moshe announces Hashem’s plan to take Bnei Yisrael out. He turns his staff into a snake and then back to a staff again as well as causing tzara’at to magically appear and disappear on his hand. Each of the makkot was miraculous, some more than others. Finally, Hashem performs the ultimate miracle by splitting the Yam Suf to lead Bnei Yisrael to their permanent freedom. Why was it so important for Hashem to take Bnei Yisrael out in such a miraculous way?
The town of Smallville (not the one where Superman grew up) was a small town like many others. It had around 700 homes, its own post office, police stations, and movie theater, among other things. Also, like many towns, it had wealthy families as well as other families that didn’t always have enough money. A number of the less-wealthy families lived in houses on Main Street.
One day, the residents of Main Street left their homes in the morning to come back to discover mysterious bags on their front steps. Inside each bag was a loaf of bread, some other food and a few gold coins. This was a nice surprise for many of the Main Streeters, who were always excited to receive something a little extra. Each family happily put the food away and did something different with the coins. Some saved them, others used them to pay bills, while others bought gifts for themselves or for loved ones.
These families were thankful for the gifts, expecting this to be a one-time deal. Imagine their surprise when these bags showed up the next day…and the next day… and every day for the rest of the week!
Eventually, many other people living in Smallville heard about these mysterious gift bags. The story made its way to the Smallville Herald, the local newspaper. The editor of the Herald decided to send his best (and only) reporter, Paul, to investigate the story. Paul packed himself a book, snacks, and a night’s worth of coffee, and sat in his car on Main Street watching.
Unfortunately for Paul, he sat all night and saw nothing. Eventually, he had to go to work and left Main Street. Of course, a few hours later, the Herald received a phone call that the bags had been delivered later in the day. Paul realized that he needed to be a bit sneakier, so he set up a camera to record the activity on the street.
The next day, Paul went to work and afterward went to retrieve the camera. He was excited to see what was recorded; surely, he would be able to watch the delivery in action. When he arrived, he saw some families standing around and talking excitedly. Paul inquired as to what was going on and was told that they had each received a check in the the mail for $100. Paul was outsmarted again!
This lasted for another week. Paul tried to find some way to figure out who was giving the money, but to no avail. He decided to give up and moved on to his next story. The families of Main Street continued receiving money and eventually everybody got used to it.
A few months later, Paul went to visit Ms. Annabelle Morgan, the oldest living resident of Smallvillle. She had been living there since the town was first built and was approaching her 60th year residing in Smallville. Paul wanted to write a story about what the town was like in its first days. Before sitting down to talk, Paul headed to the bathroom to wash up from his walk to Ms. Morgan’s home. On the way to the bathroom, Paul noticed a room in the back of the house that looked like a library. An avid reader, Paul was drawn to the room, and decided to take a look. After pulling out a few books and skimming through them, Paul noticed a strange-looking book on the top shelf. He brought over the ladder, climbed up and attempted to pull the book out. However, Paul was in for a surprise.
A large noise filled the room and Paul felt the floor begin to move; he was turning in a circle! As suddenly as it began, it stopped and Paul found himself in a large room filled with gold coins. Immediately, the memories of the story from months back came flooding back into his mind. Was Annabelle Morgan the mystery charity-giver? He needed to know!
To be sure, Paul reached down to pick up a coin. Immediately, the coin began to shake and shoot out sparks. An invisible hand began to write on the coin and when done, the coin read “A gift from Ms. Annabelle Morgan.” When Paul looked up, he noticed that on each coin in the room the same note was inscribed. Not only did this happen in the Morgan home, but each coin that had been given as a gift over the past six months suddenly had “A gift from Ms. Annabelle Morgan” written on it.
The secret was a secret no more.
In this story, Paul’s miraculous discovery revealed that the small, everyday gifts the residents of Main Street received were from the same source. Similarly, Ramban explains that the obvious miracles we see in the Torah teach us that the “ordinary” happenings in nature are miraculous as well. If Hashem can turn an entire country dark or split a sea, he can clearly help trees grow and keep the Earth turning. We often get used to these small miracles and forget to say “wow!” Hashem’s miracles during Yetziat Mitzrayim were meant to teach us to look for the obscure miracles in nature. Sometimes, we need to look for the usual “wows,” like a beautiful sunset, the workings of beehive, or the miracle of medicine, to remind us that each day is full of miracles to appreciate if we would only pay attention.
By Yair Daar
