Unlike the followers of Voodoo Judaism and the "magical Torah protection" espoused by the Chareidi Eirav Rav groups in Israel, the Rambam was not a proponent of miracles. In fact, in his Yesodei Hatorah(Chapter 8), he states:
מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּנוּ--לֹא הֶאֱמִינוּ בּוֹ יִשְׂרָאֵל, מִפְּנֵי הָאוֹתוֹת שֶׁעָשָׂה: שֶׁהַמַּאֲמִין עַל פִּי הָאוֹתוֹת--יֵשׁ בְּלִבּוֹ דֹּפִי, שֶׁאִפְשָׁר שֶׁיֵּעָשֶׂה הָאוֹת בְּלָאט וְכִשּׁוּף.
"Moses our teacher – Israel did not believe in him because of the signs he performed: for the one who believes based on signs has a flaw in their heart, as it is possible for a sign to be done secretly and through sorcery."
This perspective aligns beautifully with the upcoming Daf Yomi (Sanhedrin 96b) discussion this Sunday, which recounts the story of Nebuzaradan, the Babylonian general who destroyed Jerusalem and the First Temple. The Gemara shares the following narrative:
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"When he reached the Sanctuary, he saw the blood of Zechariah the priest boiling. It had not calmed since he was killed in the Temple (see II Chronicles 24:20–22). Nebuzaradan asked the priests: "What is this?" They replied: "It is the blood of offerings that was spilled." Nebuzaradan said: "Bring animals, and I will test to determine if the blood of the animals is similar to the boiling blood." He slaughtered the animals, but their blood was not similar to the boiling blood. He then demanded: "Reveal the source of that blood to me; if not, I will comb your flesh with an iron comb."
The priests explained: "This blood belongs to a priest and a prophet who prophesied to Israel about the destruction of Jerusalem and whom they killed." Nebuzaradan said: "I will pacify the blood so the boiling will stop." He brought the Sages and killed them over the blood, yet the boiling did not cease. He brought schoolchildren and killed them, and still, the boiling continued. He brought young priests and killed them, but the boiling persisted. He continued this gruesome act until he had killed 940,000 people over the blood, and still, the boiling did not cease.
Nebuzaradan approached the blood and said: "Zechariah, Zechariah, the worthy among them I killed on your behalf. Is it satisfactory for you that I kill them all?" Immediately, the boiling ceased. Nebuzaradan contemplated repentance, realizing that if those who caused only one person's death required such extensive atonement, then what would be required of him for all the destruction he had caused? He deserted his army, sent a last will to his house, and converted."
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What is fascinating about this aggadah is that it was not the miraculous boiling of blood that convinced Nebuzaradan to convert, but rather his rational contemplation of teshuva (repentance) for all the death and destruction for which he was responsible.
The Gemara continues with the following teaching:
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"The Sages taught in a baraita: Naaman the Aramean was a ger toshav, meaning he accepted upon himself to refrain from idol worship but did not convert to Judaism. Conversely, Nebuzaradan was a completely righteous convert."
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In this context, Nebuzaradan is compared to Naaman the Aramean, who, after being miraculously cured of leprosy through the prophet Elisha, recognized that the God of Elisha was the true God. However, he did not convert fully.
The messages conveyed in these stories resonate deeply with the Rambam's teachings in Yesodei Hatorah. Miracles alone do not foster true belief in God; rather, it is the arduous process of rational thinking and introspection that leads one to genuinely embrace faith in the God of our ancestors.
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