By Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
Tifereth Israel Synagogue, San Diego

One of the definitive events of Jewish history and consciousness was the Israelites crossing the Sea of Reeds after their flight from Egypt.

As the Egyptian army gave chase, the Israelites were stopped in their tracks by the waters of the sea. Fearing the end was near, they complained to Moses: "Was it for the want of graves in Egypt that you brought us to die in the wilderness?" (Exodus 14:11) Moses reassured them and told them that God would deliver them to safety.

God told Moses to hold his arm over the waters and "the Lord drove back the sea with a strong east wind all that night, and turned the sea into dry ground. The waters were split, and the Israelites went into the sea on dry ground, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left." (Exodus 14:21-22)

The Israelites crossed to the other side in safety. When the Egyptians pursued, God brought the waters down upon them, drowning Pharaoh's army. 

So awesome and wondrous was this event that it is enshrined in our daily prayers. Twice a day, in the morning and evening, Jews chant a portion of the Song of the Sea, the epic poem the Israelites recited in thanksgiving for their salvation, immediately after the Shema:

Who is like you, O Lord, among all that is worshiped!
Who is, like You, majestic in holiness,
awesome in splendor, working wonders!
(Exodus 15:11 and Siddur)

While there are those who are skeptical about the existence of miracles, many others are not. Believers in miracles assert that since God created the laws of nature, God can break or manipulate the laws of nature as needed.

They do not believe that God plays dice with the universe (to paraphrase Albert Einstein), but rather that these miracles are part of God's great plan. In this sense, what we call a "miracle" is not a break in the natural order, but already part of it.

Inasmuch as human beings are created Betzelem Elokim, in the Image of God, we also have permission to affect the natural order. Medical and scientific research, for example, is not only permitted but encouraged if it can improve and enhance human life.

However, the permission given to human beings to alter nature is not absolute. Asserting that human beings are created Betzelm Elokim is not the same as claiming that human beings have the same prerogatives and authority as God. There is a vast difference between humans acting in accordance with the Divine Will and believing they have the authority and wisdom to take
God's place.

The alleged cloning of a human being by "Clonaid" seems to me to be an overstepping of the human prerogative to help and heal. It is, instead, "playing God." It is an attempt to create a human being in our image instead of in God's.

The midrash teaches that one of God's miracles is God's stamping all human beings with the image of Adam, yet each and every one of us is a unique creation. Cloning attempts to circumvent that miracle. Cloning of human beings can not only lead to abuse, it is also an affront to Divine creativity.

The Torah teaches us that the world was given to Adam and Eve, and thus to us, "to till and to tend." We have a responsibility to care for the world it and not to abuse it. The holiday of Tu B'Shevat, which is celebrated this Shabbat, reminds us of our interconnectedness and responsibility toward the natural world. Tu B'Shevat (literally the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Shevat) is, according to the Talmud, the "New Year of the Trees." Originally, this date
was used to calculate when the annual tithes from fruit trees should be collected. Today, Tu B'Shevat reminds us of our dependence on nature and our obligation to care for the environment and not exploit it.

On Tu B'Shevat we are reminded that even if human beings have the power to manipulate, interfere with and even destroy the world, we must manifest such power wisely. Just because human beings are able to do something, it does not mean that we should.

Only God should "play God" We, humans, need to be more careful and circumspect.

As Midrash Kohellet teaches: "When God created the first human beings, God led them around the Garden of Eden and said: 'Look at my works! See how beautiful they are, how excellent! For your sake, I created them all. See to it that you do not spoil and destroy My world. For if you do, there is no one else to repair it." (Midrash Kohellet Rabbah 1 on Ecclesiastes 7:13,
translation UAHC)