The Finger of God: Finding the Divine in Everyday Life
This week’s Torah portion introduces the ten plagues, one of the most dramatic stories in the entire Torah. Each year, I find myself revisiting the plagues, seeking new angles and lessons. While the final plague—the slaying of the firstborn—commands the most attention, I like to reflect on the earlier plagues and consider their significance.
Let’s pause and examine the first three plagues: blood, frogs, and lice. The first two are particularly fascinating because the Egyptian magicians were able to replicate them. When Aaron turned the Nile into blood, Pharaoh’s magicians performed a similar feat. The same thing happened with the frogs; they summoned their own amphibian swarms. It’s as if the magicians were saying, “See? We can do that too.”
But then we get to the third plague—lice—and something changes.
The Plague of Lice
For the third plague, Aaron strikes the sand with his staff, and it transforms into lice that infest both people and animals. This plague is overwhelming, relentless, and entirely unique. The magicians try their tricks but fail to replicate it. Frustrated and defeated, they finally admit, “This is the finger of God” (etzba Elohim).
This moment is pivotal. The magicians, who had confidently mimicked the first two plagues, now confront something beyond their abilities. They recognize that this plague is no trick, no sleight of hand, but rather a phenomenon that cannot be explained by human means. This realization marks a turning point not just in the story of the plagues but in the broader tension between science and faith.
The Intersection of Science and Faith
As science advances, it uncovers explanations for phenomena that once seemed miraculous. We understand the laws of nature in ways that were unimaginable centuries ago. For some, this progress makes faith seem less relevant. If science can explain the “how,” why do we need the “why”?
I would argue that science and faith are not in competition. Instead, they complement each other. Science reveals the mechanics of the natural world, while faith reminds us to marvel at its beauty and purpose. There are moments in life that science can’t fully explain—moments that feel like they’re touched by the divine.
The magicians’ admission during the plague of lice is a perfect example of this. They were experts in their craft, skilled in illusion and manipulation, but they reached a point where they had to acknowledge something greater at work. They called it the etzba Elohim—the finger of God.
A One-in-a-Million Encounter
Let me share a story that illustrates this idea. After seventh grade, I lost touch with my best friend. His parents had divorced, and he moved away. This was before cell phones and social media, so when he left, I had no way of finding him. For years, I wondered about him. Where had he gone? Was he okay?
Fast forward to my college years. I was visiting family in New York City and found myself at Grand Central Station. Out of nowhere, I heard someone call my name. I turned around and couldn’t believe my eyes—it was my best friend from childhood. I hadn’t seen him in over a decade.
What makes this moment even more remarkable is that he wasn’t living in New York. He had moved to Florida and was visiting the city for the first time in years. I wasn’t living there either; I was attending college in Massachusetts. Yet, at that exact moment, in a station filled with thousands of people, our paths crossed.
We reconnected, exchanged numbers, and caught up on everything that had happened in our lives. The odds of this happening were astronomical—one in a hundred million, perhaps. But here’s what makes the story even more extraordinary: that very day, I had been thinking about him, wondering what had happened to my old friend.
Was this pure coincidence? Or was it something more? I believe it was the finger of God, guiding us to that moment.
Recognizing Divine Nudges
Stories like this one happen all the time. You might call them coincidences, but I see them as divine nudges. There are moments in life when everything aligns in ways that defy logic. These are the moments that remind us of the divine fingerprints in our lives.
The magicians in Pharaoh’s court recognized this during the plague of lice. When they failed to replicate it, they realized they were witnessing something extraordinary, something beyond human capability. They named it for what it was: the finger of God.
Finding God in Everyday Life
As we navigate our modern world, it’s easy to dismiss moments of wonder as coincidence or chance. Science has given us tools to understand much about the universe, but it hasn’t diminished the presence of the divine. Faith reminds us that not everything can be explained, and that’s okay.
For me, faith is about recognizing the sacred in the everyday. It’s about seeing the hand of God in a chance encounter, a meaningful coincidence, or even an unexplainable moment of connection. These are the moments that remind us there is something greater guiding our lives.
A Shabbat Challenge
As Shabbat approaches, I invite you to reflect on your own life. What moments stand out as more than just coincidence? Have you ever experienced something that felt divinely guided?
Open your eyes a little wider this week. Pay attention to the nudges, the moments that seem too perfect to be random. When you do, you might find yourself saying, as the Egyptian magicians did, “This is the finger of God.”
Not everything can be explained by science, and that’s okay. Some things are meant to remind us of the divine, to draw us closer to faith and wonder. The finger of God is always at work in the world—we just need to learn how to see it.
Shabbat Shalom.