Divine Providence in the World: A Global Perspective

Ephraim asks: "Hello. Is it possible to see the connection between a nation's success and its level of righteousness? On one hand, we see that medicine and technology extend people's lifespans, and we can't predict natural disasters or diseases. So when do we see divine providence in relation to a nation's actions?"

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Hello Ephraim, and thank you for your question.

Providence does not mean Hashem operates outside the laws of nature. Long lives and good quality of life depend on factors Hashem created in nature, and the Torah acts as the manufacturer's guide teaching us the rules of both spiritual and physical reality and how to apply them. Thus, providence works within the world and its circumstances. For example, when Hashem wishes for a certain nation or group to benefit from medical advancements, He orchestrates the discovery of new treatments and technologies. Conversely, when people choose corruption, they suffer poverty and illness as a natural consequence, since providence works through natural means.

Regarding other nations, the Torah teaches us that a high quality of life is dependent on adherence to the Seven Noahide Laws, which are fundamental laws regarding human relations.

Notably, the United States led the way in freeing slaves who endured much suffering and enshrined core human dignity and freedom laws. Since then, it has thrived more than other nations. Similarly, Japan, once a militaristic nation with little regard for individual rights, adopted fundamental values concerning human relations and has flourished since.

Poverty and diseases are rampant today mostly in countries where the majority practice idolatrous customs that disregard human rights and harm one another based on primitive laws and customs (in Africa, albino individuals are brutally murdered, families abandon malformed infants to starve, and in India, the "Sati" practice of widow burning was prevalent until recently!). Additionally, the lack of care for the poor and sick, orphans, and widows contributes to these issues. Moral wrongs are common among idolatrous societies, explaining why poverty and disease are prevalent in their lands. It seems Hashem orchestrates circumstances so that countries caring for human rights and the needy achieve technological, medical, and life quality advancements, while those whose citizens are cruel to each other live in poverty and distress.

We can also observe divine providence in history, when even great powers collapsed due to trampling interpersonal commandments:

- Nazi Germany was once very prosperous economically, a hub of education and technology, attracting scholars worldwide to learn German. Yet its citizens chose a leader who opposed Jewish morality, trampled human rights, and systematically murdered millions of Jews. Militarily and economically, Germany was a substantial global power, influencing public opinion to sacrifice life for its goals. Despite its technological progress and steadfast dedication, the Nazi empire lost World War II and collapsed completely.

- Russia overthrew the czars 90 years ago, establishing the corrupt Soviet Union with a chosen elite at its helm. Initially, the economy did well, education was high, the military was powerful, and the populace was tightly controlled. Yet, their deeds were horrific: the communists hid the systematic killing of millions in Siberia, renounced the Torah, and banned religious practices. Despite technological advances as a superpower, Russia faced severe poverty and hunger in the eighties, which dismantled communism and shattered the Iron Curtain.

In an alternate historical reality, Nazi Germany and communist Russia might have succeeded, becoming empires that dominated large parts of the world even today. However, they failed due to unforeseen reasons. The recurring pattern is clear: there's a relative connection between adhering to the Seven Noahide Laws and a nation's success and quality of life.

Even in more private matters, like maintaining purity, a clear correlation exists between communities respecting modesty standards and their health and marital satisfaction. Nations whose citizens lack modesty suffer from severe diseases and high divorce rates. In contrast, nations respecting modesty enjoy healthier lives and better family bonds.

While predicting natural disasters is impossible, most occur in the so-called "Ring of Fire," where significant earthquakes, tsunamis, and severe volcanic eruptions happen. Perhaps we witness natural disasters decreed upon countries with shared sins.

The Rambam explained divine providence during natural disasters in two ways:

A. The first explanation is that even when a natural disaster is decreed, Hashem saves those undeserving of death and worthy of rescue. The Rambam wrote (Guide for the Perplexed, Part III, Chapter XVII): "If a ship sinks with its passengers, for instance, or the house's roof collapses on its occupants, feature entirely accidental, their entry onto the ship and others' residence in the house, according to us, are not coincidental but follow the divine will, based on their merits according to divine judgment, inscrutable to our intellect."

B. The second explanation is that the decree is upon a country's people based on their majority deeds, yet we don't clearly know which deeds are weightier or less in Hashem's view (Mishneh Torah, Laws of Repentance Chapter 3): "An individual with more sins than merits dies immediately in his wickedness, as it says, 'because of your many sins.' Similarly, a nation with more sins immediately loses, as it says, 'the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great.' And so, if the entire world has more sins, they are destroyed immediately, as it says, 'Hashem saw that man's wickedness was great.' The evaluation is not based purely on the count of merits and sins, but their significance: one merit could outweigh numerous sins, as it says, 'because he found something good in him' (Kings I 14:13), and one sin could outweigh many merits, as it says, 'one sinner destroys much good' (Ecclesiastes 9:18). The weighing is known only to the "God of Knowledge," who knows how to match merits against sins."

In any case, divine providence is certainly evident in history.

Historical providence is most visible regarding our chosen people:

The Jewish people have survived miraculously for 3300 years, defying all historical norms, because their laws are Torah laws. Therefore, the state of the Jewish people is not natural. Our people received more commandments than any other nation, crucial for our survival and success over others, as our mission is to be "a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (Exodus 19:6). Hence, when the Jewish people adhere to the Torah, they attain success and prosperity, being "a light for nations to bring my salvation to the ends of the earth" (Isaiah 49:6). But when the Jewish people neglect their spiritual purpose, wars and suffering increase, with waves of hatred and antisemitism pursuing them. Once it was the Egyptians, then the Babylonians, the Greeks, the Romans, the Christians, the Germans, and now the Arabs. Yet the recurring pattern cannot be denied. The Jewish people's situation is not natural, indicating an unusual law in creation, signaling divine providence over the entire nation. Naturally, the Jewish people would have vanished quickly, but Hashem promised in His Torah: "Yet even afterward, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject or obliterate them, breaking My covenant with them, for I am Hashem, their God" (Leviticus 26:44). Hence, vast empires have tried, one after the other, to annihilate us but failed despite all their efforts.

The world today is advancing toward the war of Gog and Magog, as prophesied by the prophets, through which the Messiah will be revealed and redemption will come to Israel and the world. History follows a path, progressing according to a divine plan, discernible to any observant viewer.