The Beneh Yissaschar writes that there are two different systems with which Hashem governs the world, and every person can choose which system he wants to have his life governed by. The first system, the system of טבע, works within the laws of nature, whereas the second system, למעלה מן הטבע, operates beyond the laws of nature. One who lives in the system of למעלה מן הטבע is not subject to the rules of nature, as Hashem performs miracles for him.
Rav Dessler taught that if one wishes to have his life run למעלה מן הטבע, then he must conduct himself למעלה מן הטבע, acting against his instinctive nature. When a person goes against his natural negative instincts, he arouses Hashem’s assistance and He deals with him למעלה מן הטבע. If somebody gets angry, and his instinct at that moment is to erupt in a fit of rage, but he restrains himself and remains calm, then he has gone against his nature and enters a different realm.
Rav Yitzchak Zilberstein, a noted Av Bet Din and Rosh Kollel in Israel, who is also a renowned expert in the area of medical halachah, told a story that happened this past year involving a woman who developed a chronic disease that made it very dangerous for her to deliver a child. One day, her eight-year-old son returned home from school and innocently asked his father whether a berit milah may be performed on Shavuot. The father explained that a berit milah is performed on an infant’s eighth day even if it is Shabbat or Yom Tov. He did not bother asking the child what prompted this question, figuring it was simply the boy’s natural curiosity.
One month later, the woman discovered that she was pregnant. The doctors unanimously and unequivocally determined that she must terminate the pregnancy, as delivering the child posed a serious danger to her life. The couple consulted with their Rabbi, who agreed that the pregnancy should be terminated.
The day before the procedure was to take place, the father recalled his son’s question the previous month about performing a berit milah on Shavuot. He was curious to know why the boy had posed this question, and so he approached his son and asked.
“That day in school was the worst day ever,” his son said. “One boy started to bother me, and others joined. They made fun of me, and then a boy hit me. I was so sad so I ran inside and cried. I said to Hashem, ‘I want a brother so badly. I will forgive all the boys in school for what they did to me today if you give my mother a baby boy.’ After I said that, I felt much better. I had a feeling that Hashem accepted my tefilah. I looked at the calendar and saw that nine months from then was a week before Shavuot. I was worried what would happen if the day of the berit fell on Shavuot, and so I asked you if a berit can be done on Shavuot.”
The father told this to his wife, and they were both convinced that this was going to be a miracle baby. They did not want to go through the procedure to terminate the pregnancy. Rav Zilberstein ruled that if the chances of the woman’s survival were more than 50 percent, then she was halachically allowed to proceed with the pregnancy, and this was what she and her husband decided to do.
The woman’s doctor informed her that he refused to care for her, as it was too dangerous, and so they found a different doctor who agreed to provide care – but only on the condition that the birth was done by C-section. The couple, however, refused.
“Once Hashem is doing this miracle for us,” they said, “we want to do it the best possible way.”
When the day of the delivery arrived, a large team of specialists was on hand in case complications arose. Baruch Hashem, the woman survived a natural birth, and a healthy baby boy was born – exactly one week before Shavuot. The berit was performed on Shavuot.
This is the power of pure tefilah. The boy went against his nature and forgave those who mistreated him, and this triggered a modern-day miracle.
The more we are able to go against our negative instincts, the more we will benefit from the wonderful world of למעלה מן הטבע.