Within the Othodox community there are many divisions. There are divisions over Halakhic issues, over life-style issues and over issues of belief. In this essay I hope to cover one of these latter issues. Specifically I will discuss the attitude towards miracle workers.

At any time of the year in Israel ( but especially at election time the cynic can note) one can encounter in the media tales of miracles brought about by the amulet of one or another Rabbi/Kabbalist.Commentators on Jewish affairs lamenting the poor benighted believers in these contemporary fairy-tales can also be found without too much effort.

I think the only way to understand a religious phenomenon is to forget one's prejudices and to study to the extent of one's abilities the works of the acknowledged authorities who deal with the issue. For the purposes of this essay I will present the views of the Rashba, the Rambam and Rav Hai Gaon along with anecdotal evidence of other Gedolei Torah.

The first issue to resolve is whether or not a person can or cannot effect a miracle via some sort of usage of a name of G-d.

A simple answer to this question is offered by the Rashba. He says yes. In his responsa ( section one siman220) he gives a short and unequivocal statement. He responded to a question about "the Name of forty-two letters" discussed in the Gemara in Kiddushin (71a). His answer is: From what is made clear in the Gemara there are certainly wondrous powers in reading the Names alone as long as the vowels are used, and not only that but even in writing them....

The Rashba goes on to issue this warning: Whoever knows only its reading and knows nothing but the order of the letters and their vowels and should perform an act by this; and even if he should not perform an act but only pronounce the Name with his lips; he is not beloved and precious, rather the opposite...

It would seem that the Rashba is of the opinion that knowledge of what a Name of G-d means is not necessary in order to perform a miracle.

The view of the Rashba is apparently not the view of the Rambam. In Moreh Hanevuchim the Rambam expounds on the significance of the "special" Names of G-d ( part one, chapters sixty-one and sixty-two).In these chapters the Rambam emphasizes only the knowledge imparted in awareness of these Names. He contrasts the sublime wisdom possessed by the initiates with the ignorance of those who believe the delusions and outright lies of the amulet writers.

But what does the Rambam say about the ability to perform a miracle via the Name of G-d?

I don't know if the Rambam discusses this question explicitly. But his opinion seems clear enough. In chapter 62 the Rambam presents a hierarchy of the secret Names of G-d. In declining order of significance they are the four-letter name, the twelve-letter name and the forty-two letter name. The significance of a Name is a reflection of the insight into G-d's nature afforded by the Name. The Names were taught only to select students. The consequence of these names being known to evil-doers is that they could spread corrupt teachings and apparently claim legitimacy by virtue of their knowledge of the secret Names.

What the Rambam does not say (as pointed out by Rabbi Kaffach zt"l in note 7 in his edition of Moreh Hanevuchim)is that the evil-doers would corrupt the naive faithful by performing "miracles." Miracles would certainly boost the power of those seeking to spread heresies. It would seem then that miracles cannot be wrought by the mere utterance of a Name of G-d.

So here we have a disagreement between the Rashba and the Rambam.

A Rishon who apparently takes for granted the ability to perform miracles via a Name of G-d is Rabbeinu Yitzchak of Corbeil in the Semak (day one, part 3). In the discussion of Kiddush Hashem he relates this story:

Rabbeinu Yehuda Chasid warned his students not to travel to a wedding because of bandits on the road. They went , trusting that they knew how to pronounce the Name. They went, pronounced the Name, and were saved. Upon their return he told them "You have lost your World to Come if you do not return without any pronouncement of the Name and allow yourselves to be killed." And they went and they were killed.

Discussions of this issue raise the question of G-d's "system" for managing nature and how can a human apparently interfere in the Divine plan. The Chatam Sofer in his responsa ( Orach Chaim 197) deals with this question. In passing he writes:

The Holy Names have genuine efficacy as I have seen with my own eyes before my wondrous teacher the righteous Kohen...

I have deliberately chosen passages from the responsa literature. The writers who belittle people who seek out amulets with "Holy Names" all too often cloak their articles in a tone of intellectual snobbism ( after first quoting the Rambam). Stories from story-books about miracles cannot compel a rigorous review of a fascinating subject. I hope that my citations from the writings of "amudei hahora'ah" will show that fellow Jews whose ways may strike others a odd is not primitive or worthy of derision.

I will close with the opinion of Rav Hai Gaon. What Rav Hai Gaon writes can be found in Otzar Hageonim to Chagiga 14b.The writings of Rav Hai Gaon are fascinating and well worth the effort of finding a copy of Otzar Hageonim to study.

For reasons of space I can only quote part of the question and of Rav Hai Gaon's answer.

They asked of Rav Hai Gaon: About the Name-there are several Names and there are those who can perform great wonders which no person could conceivably perform except miraculously...and yet you (note:Rav Hai Gaon) say this all nonsense... We are amazed by this because many scholars in the land of Israel and the land of Edom... testify that they have seen in public these wonders...

Following this excerpt there are two whole pages of reports describing the wonders these people heard about. Rav Hai Gaon responds: In this question there are some points worthy of an answer, some points just raised for the sake of argument, and some not worthy of any reply. For example I've already written a reply that this is all nonsense. Now you tell me that you are amazed because of the testimony of the sages of the land of Israel... I do not know if you are amazed by him (the purported miracle worker) or by them(the sages)...

Rav Hai Gaon goes on to show how people can be duped and elaborates on miracles and their purpose. Rav Hai Gaon describes a long history of reported miracles and of investigations carried out by "our fathers and our fathers' fathers" which exposed the stories as false.

It's not for the likes of me to say who's "right". All I want to do with this essay is to show that for over a thousand years people have felt a need to bring G-d into their lives.

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