web feb 24

It is common (but mistaken) for people to think of the natural and the miraculous as opposites - one follows the laws of nature, the other transcends it. But seeing that the phenomena we are about to discuss is called the “miracle of water” by scientists themselves (a term rarely used in their world), it seems appropriate that we should use it here. It is the nature of all materials to expand when hot and contract when cold. This is the reason why a small gap is left between the iron lengths of railway line, so that they will not bend or press up against each other after expanding in the summer or when heated by the friction of the train wheels. In other words, as the temperature rises, a material expands and its volume grows; as the temperature drops, that same material shrinks and its volume contracts. This basic law of nature applies to all the matter existent in the world, without exception. Unsolved Mystery However, in contrast with every other substance in the world, it is amazing to discover that at a certain stage, water stops obeying the natural rule and acts in exactly the opposite manner - in complete contradiction of the law! Between 39 and 32 degrees Fahrenheit, as water approaches its freezing point, it stops contracting and begins to act as if it were heating up. At these temperatures, water expands and increases in volume! How can this be? Scientists have no explanation for how this happens and cannot understand what makes water different from all the other substances in the world. However, they understand very well that this unnatural phenomenon is something of a miracle, without which, human life could not exist on Earth. If water would continue contracting as it approaches its freezing point and its volume would continue to shrink, as is true for all the other substances in nature, ice would be heavier than water and would sink rather than float. If all the ice in the world had sunk during the cold periods, much of the world’s deep sources of water would have frozen and all the sea creatures within that water would have died. In addition, without themiracle of water, eachwinter the northern ice seas would freeze into enormous blocks of ice. With the arrival of summer, the melting icebergs would create immense flows of water, which would flood the landmasses and drown everything upon them. The One and Only The only substance that contravenes the laws of nature – expanding rather than contracting in the cold – is the one most necessary for the world’s continued existence. Only water acts in this way, when it reaches the stage at which following the laws of nature would have an adverse effect on the world. Scientists have no explanation for how or why this happens. However, we know that it is written: “For He spoke, and it was, He commanded, and it stood” (Tehillim 33:9). He, who created the world and imprinted the natural laws onto it, is also the One who ensured the existence of the world He created. For Him, nature and the miraculous are one and the same. Both are brought about through His commandments and will. WATER In Its Gaseous State Large concentrations of water are found at many places around the globe, yet who can move them to where they are needed – to irrigate the fields and fill the empty reservoirs? Can they be transported solely by artificial means, such as with pumps and pipes? What about those places lacking the necessary infrastructure or wealth required? Are they doomed to be dead and deserted forever? Withgreat frequency, vast quantitiesofwater,weighingaltogether millions of tons, rise to the sky and travel to those places where they are needed. During this process, liquid water is transformed into THE MIRACLE OF WATER WHY SCIENTISTS ARE STILL BAFFLED ABOUT 66 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE