Jerusalem's Lifshitz College brought the realm of the mystical into the world of academia Thursday by holding a conference on the topic of 'Miracles in Our Generation.' Dr. Eli Hadad spoke to Arutz Sheva 's Hebrew-language news service about the conference. “Miracles are definitely a mystical subject, but we're trying to bring them into the realm of reason as well,” he explained. "The question is how we see our daily reality, what's called 'Your miracles from day to day,'” he continued. Dr. Hadad compared the views of two great Jewish scholars, saying, “According to the Ramban [Nachmanides], events that are clearly miraculous are meant to show us that our entire existence is miraculous and due to G-d's constant supervision, while the Rambam [Maimonides] believes that there are miracles that defy nature while the rest of existence is natural and works according to fixed laws.” Today's society is focused on miracles, Hadad said. “Today we're in an era of 'miraculous perception,' we see that Kabbalah study is flourishing, people seek miracles, there's a yearning,” he explained. The miracle-seeking nature of today's society can be seen in art – a phenomenon that was the topic of one lecture at the conference. “Many students in the film department make movies in which miracles are the main theme,” Hadad said. The focus on miracles is not entirely positive, he added. “There are definitely dangers... Instead of taking action in the real world, people hope for miracles, and use all kinds of talismans,” he said. "Today people want to avoid responsibility. It's a very widespread issue in the post-modern world, which casts a doubtful eye on reality,” Hadad said. The ideal approach to miracles includes accepting reality and working with it, he concluded.
