VA'erah: Do you believe in magic?

The parsha opens with a list, consisting of the patriarchs, to whom Gd has been revealed, albeit in an annonymous form. Gd had been the Power that is Sufficient  Now, Gd reveals Gd's identity.  Gd appears to those who have cultivated that vision:  An  attitude of humility, a disclaimer of understanding the workings of the world

We live in an era of science.  This is a body of (public) knowledge, democratically vetted, proven to work.  Actually, it is network of models that are religiously worshiped  on faith that "the experts" have reviewed, criticized and validated them .  All explanations must fit the mold, they must comply with the laws of Einstein ( or , at least Newton), Koch ( germ theory), Darwin, Hilbert(/Pythagorus), etc.  But we should not forget Freud and Morgenstern ( laws of rational economics) . They remind us that the models change, they are accepted and abandoned.

I have lived through the evolution of models.  The pivotal role of DNA as the genetic material was elucidated the year I was born. Before that, he mechanism of heredity was a mystery.  Then we find out that cells literally read a code that is written in 4 letters. This amazing discovery has spawned a deeper understanding that has not (yet) been replaced.

I see miracles of great importance almost daily. People who have been relegated to death by the most scientific of methodologies survive and flourish.   I have seen new treatments appear that work quickly, completely and without significant side effects.  Are these miracles? Yes!

And now we see the drug industry in the medical industry using these miracles to make as much money as a possibly can.  The drug companies propagate a narrative around the expense of creating these medicines that justifies their incredible Price

Pharaoh and the Egyptians had their model of how the world works. Whatever it was, it maintained the power of the pharoah and somehow allowed the enslavement of the Hebrews. 

These plagues challenged their understanding nature.  They challenge our understanding, as well.  Maybe we are a little less skeptical of miracles that come for our benefit.

The science here, he skepticism that comes from miracle, goes beyond the collection of reproducible observations and theoretical models . At a time of miracles, only miracles make sense.  The pretense of predictability is stripped away  and we  surrender to forces that we do not fathom, and the hope that they can be favorable.

And pray to the master of all.