Anyone who knows anything about Jewish prayer is well aware
of the fact that Ashrei (Psalm 145) is recited thrice daily. It is also no secret that Ashrei follows the
order of the Aleph/Beis, and accordingly it is a snapshot of teva
(nature). In the same way that Ashrei
moves from Alepf to Taf in a linear path teva (seemingly) moves through its
established cycles.
Or so we think, but the Meshech Chochma informs us
otherwise.
Teva is actually an accumulation of nes after nes all of
which tip toes under our collective radar because it happens all of the time
and to our way of looking at things it just seems to be the way things are.
Rav Dessler puts it this way:
The only difference between nes and teva is the frequency of
occurrence.
By us, caterpillars that morph into butterflies every year
are a wonderful manifestation of teva, (isn't nature wonderful?!), whereas Ticheyas Hameisim (the rising of the
dead) which will be at the end of times is a nes.
Teva is the chosen means by which Hashem controls the world
and the irony is that what most people think is the most mundane natural activity that could be
considered to be the poster boy for teva is in actually the greatest nes.
The Meshech Chachma tells us that the greatest wonder in the
world, which is much greater than any nes, is the inyan (subject) of parnossa
(making a living).
Hashem created a world that is self supporting for every
creation in it, and within the framework of trillions upon trillions of created
things living off each other, Hashem supplies parnossa for the whole of Creation.
This is the bottom line of Ashrei. It's to internalize that the Hashem rules
over the teva from Aleph to Taf. And that
if within the sleight of Hand that we
call teva, a person will focus on how Hashem created a world which contains
parnossa for everyone, this is the greatest Kovod Shomayim ( honor to Heaven) that
can be shown.
