“A miracle does not prove what is impossible; rather it is an affirmation of what is possible.”

-Maimonides

We often think of miracles as supernatural events, wrought by the Hand of G!D or one of Her prophets, spectacular and rare. But what if miracles were possible in every moment?

Take water for instance. If water  became denser as it froze into solid form, as do most materials, life would be impossible in cold climates. Lakes would freeze from the bottom up as the ice sank in the lighter liquid water. But because ice is less dense, it floats and insulates to some degree, preserving the liquid water and life beneath in lakes, rivers and streams.

Green cells take sunlight and minerals dissolved in water and create sugars and starches, on which virtually all other life depends. If no green cells, then no other life forms. Einstein remarked that in life, either everything is a miracle, or nothing is.

So miracles may be a function of expectations. If we expect life to be dull and ordinary most of the time, it surely will be in our dull, ordinary eyes. If we expect miraculous things, we will begin to see them all around us and within us. Each breath, when we stop and really notice it, is a miracle. Each heart beat, every ladybug or earthworm. Don’t even get me started on the cosmos! Miracles surround us, if we have the eyes to see.

How many miracles can you witness today?

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Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon (acronymed Rambam  for “Rabbeinu Moshe Ben Maimon”, and Latinized Moses Maimonides), was a preeminent medieval Sephardic Jewish philosopher and astronomer,and  became one of the most prolific and influential Torah scholars and physicians of the Middle Ages. He worked as a rabbi, physician, and philosopher in Morocco and Egypt.

Joe Laur is a father, husband, naturalist, executive, consultant, and a lowly rabbinic student. He can be reached at joe.laur@godsdog.net.