Q:
The Satmarer Rov in his sefer (Al Hageulah V’Al Hatmurah siman 7) states that many times power is given to the Satan and to apikorsim to perform miracles in order to mislead the masses. Can you explain the significance of this?
A:
This is not a new idea. It actually is stated openly in the Torah. In the sidrah of Re’eh (Devarim 13:2) we read: כי יקום בקרבך נביא או חולם חלום – “When there will arise in your midst a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, ונתן אליך אות או מופת – and he will give to you a sign or a wonder, ובא האות או המופת אשר דבר אליך לאמר – and it will come true, that sign and that wonder that he spoke to you, and he will be telling you: נלכה אחרי אלהים אחרים אשר לא ידעתם ונעבדם – let us go after other gods that you did not know, and let us serve them.”
So what do you see? That this man foretold something, or he produced something, a miracle, and his prophecy came true, or the miracle was performed; and nevertheless the Torah says: לא תשמע אל דברי הנביא ההוא – you should not listen to the words of that prophet, או אל חולם החלום ההוא – or the dreamer of that dream, כי מנסה ה’ אלקיכם אתכם – because Hashem is testing you. So we see that Hakadosh Baruch Hu permits a miracle to take place for the purpose of testing us. And that’s a benefit for the good ones who withstand the test and they demonstrate, הישכם אוהבים את ה’ אלקיכם בכל לבבכם ובכל נפשכם – “Do you love Hashem with all your heart and with all your soul?Do you love Him only half way, and therefore you can be pushed around, buffeted by a miracle? Or do you love Him with all your heart and you can withstand that ordeal?
So you see that it could happen that an apikores might perform a miracle. Now it doesn’t mean that that’s what actually happened,but it could happen in theory, absolutely. And the purpose, if it did happen, is to test the good ones, “Do you love Hashem with all your heart and all your soul?”
TAPE # R-12
