Our Gemara on Amud Aleph describes an incident during the reign of King Chizkiyahu and the impact, or lack thereof, that a group of evil conspirators had. Specifically, King Chizkiyahu did not need to take into account the behaviors or assessments of wicked people, and their opinions would not carry the same weight with God, even though they represented a large portion of the population.

Shebna, a steward and minister in King Hezekiah’s court, was a prominent and influential figure. He would teach Torah to an audience of 130,000 followers, whereas King Hezekiah would teach Torah to an audience of merely 110,000.

When Sennacherib came and besieged Jerusalem, Shebna wrote a note and shot it over the wall with an arrow. It read: Shebna and his camp had appeased Sennacherib and were ready to surrender; Hezekiah and his camp had not appeased Sennacherib.

Hezekiah was afraid. He said: "Perhaps, God forbid, the opinion of the Holy One, Blessed be He, will follow the majority, and since the majority have submitted to the Assyrians, even those who have not submitted will also be delivered into their hands." The prophet Isaiah then came and said to him, “It is a conspiracy of wicked people, and a conspiracy of wicked people is not counted.”

The Peri Tzadik (Miketz) offers a fascinating perspective on this event, providing a unique insight into miracles and divine intervention. According to his analysis, it is far superior to experience so-called "natural providence" that comes through regular channels of nature, rather than completely miraculous occurrences. This is because when a situation is dire enough to require a miraculous intervention, it indicates that there is little merit, and the outcome is solely due to God’s abundant mercy. Ironically, the manifestation of God’s mercy points to the low spiritual standing of the people or person at the time. This is somewhat similar to the misbehaving child who demands more attention than the well-behaved one. The well-behaved child will receive benefits and attention from their parents in a more indirect, natural way, while the misbehaving child demands immediate attention and greater compassion.

Since the majority of people in Chizkiyahu’s time were following the evil influence of Shebna, they were disqualified and did not merit a natural victory in battle. Instead, only divine mercy allowed for a miraculous intervention. As described in Midrash Tehillim (79), God said to Chizkiyahu, “You may rest in your bed, and I will fight the war for you,” which indeed occurred when the enemy army hallucinated seeing a giant attacking force and retreated in panic. Similarly, the Exodus from Egypt required outright miracles, which were contrary to the natural order because the Jewish people had sunk low enough that they did not merit redemption, and it had to be solely through heavenly mercy. In comparison, the miracles of Purim and Chanukah came about through natural intervention, in military and political victories. Nonetheless, God’s hand is evident when you connect all the dots.

Peri Tzadik draws a subtle distinction in the text of the blessings recited in Kiddush HaChodesh to commemorate the Exodus versus the blessings recited on Hanukkah and Purim. In Kiddush HaChodesh, we say, “He who performed miracles for our fathers and redeemed them from slavery to freedom, may He redeem us soon and gather our dispersed from the four corners of the earth.” For Chanukah and Purim, we recite, “He who made miracles for our ancestors in their days and for us in our times.” He notes that in the case of Kiddush HaChodesh, we recall the past miracles and ask for redemption in the present. In contrast, regarding Chanukah and Purim, we recall the past miracles and ask for current miracles. His point is that since the Exodus required nature-bending miracles, it came from a lack of merit, signaling a low spiritual status. We thus pray that the redemption comes this month, but through more natural means, not by utter miracles. On the other hand, since Hanukkah and Purim involved more natural miracles, we pray that we can merit such miracles.

Peri Tzadik’s view indicates that seemingly natural intervention orchestrated by God is the preferred method for messianic redemption. This lends legitimacy to the idea that the modern State of Israel represents the beginning of messianic redemption. The fact that it appears natural does not make it any less miraculous, and according to this logic, it may even be of greater significance. This new perspective on the value of natural-looking miracles gives us much to consider regarding the recent and incredible victories of the Israeli Defense Forces. May God watch over and protect them.