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Thought for the Day: HaShem Will Do an Open Miracle to Save You from Embarrassment

The mishna in Pirkei Avos (5:4) lists 10 miracles that our ancestors were able to experience in the Beis HaMikdash; may it be rebuilt soon and in our lifetime. Here's the list, some explanation added parenthetically.

  • No woman ever miscarried because of the aroma from the sacrificial offerings. (If a pregnant woman gets a craving for something, it can be dangerous if she isn't given a sample. Since she couldn't eat from the offerings, this could have brought her into danger; but it never happened.)
  • The meat of the offerings never spoiled. (It can get quite hot in Yerushalayim and the meat could be left out for hours. Even so, none ever spoiled.)
  • לא אירע קרי לכוהן גדול ביום הכיפורים (Since it would have been a tuma from his body, it would have been particularly disgraceful.)
  • A fly was never seen where the meat was butchered. (Hot raw meat, outside; you get the picture.)
  • The barely offering (omer) was never disqualified. (There would not have been time to harvest more before Yom Tov.)
  • The two loaves of Shavuos were never disqualified. (Again, no time to bake more before Yom Tov.)
  • The show breads were never disqualified. (Ditto, but this time before Shabbos.)
  • The fire on the altar was never extinguished by rain. (And it did rain in Yerushalayim.)
  • The wind never disturbed the column of smoke from the altar. (And there was wind in Yerushalayim.)
  • Everyone stood squeezed together (so tightly that if one lifted his feet, he would not fall), but when they prostrated themselves, they had a clear six feet in every direction.
  • No one was ever bitten by a snake nor scorpion. (And there were snakes and scorpions.)
  • No one ever told his fellow that it's just too hard to stay in Yerushalayim.

Ok... I know there are 12 bullet items; the mishna puts the omer, two loaves of Shavuos, and the show breads together -- so 10 miracles. Please, though, look at the list carefully. Nine of those miracles could only be recognized as miraculous because they always/never happened. That is, you couldn't tell by looking at them once that it was a miracle. It's not common for flies to be absent from an outdoor butcher shop, but it could happen now and again.

There is only one in your face, jaw dropping miracle in the list: standing together squeezed so tightly that a person couldn't fall, but when it came time to fall in the service, everyone had a clear six feet in every direction. That's amazing, in your face, and jaw dropping. What was so important that they needed all that space? The Bartenura explains that they were prostrating to confess their sins. They needed the space so no one could hear them.

Here's the picture -- it's Yom Kippur in the Beis HaMikdash. Everyone has made the pilgrimage to Yerushalayim to be at the Beis HaMikdash to get atonement for his sins. He is totally focused on his confession because this is his one chance this year to get a completely clean slate. Even so, HaShem performed an open miracle in order to ensure that no one was embarrassed by his private confession.

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