Haggadah: “The Finger of God” Ohr ha-Meir

The 14th of Adar is the Yahrtzeit of Rav Ze’ev Wolf of Zhitomer, student of the Maggid of Mezeitch, author of Ohr ha-Meir, one of the early foundation texts of Chassidus (1800).

“The finger of God.” The first appearance of the “Finger of God,” is not as most think, when the Egyptian magicians claim that the plague of locusts is clearly an expression of the power of the “Finger of God.” Rather, the Book of Shemot actually begins with the “Finger of God.”

“And these are the names of the children of Israel,” as if to say, God pointed to each and every one of Jacobs family and said, “This is his name. He is important to Me.”

We must understand how important this “finger,” is for if we look at someone who has been moved by his Torah study or his prayer, you will see that his body begins to move, he begins to shake his head and his spine, and that he will clap his two palms together, and at other times you will see him raise his fingers towards the heaven and wiggle them in the air as if to say there is no action in the world that does not create realities in the highest Spiritual worlds.

This is why we must pay attention to the “Finger of God.” Even the movement of a finger matters.

It is only one who appreciates the importance of even the slightest movement of even the most insignificant parts of his body who will appreciate the opportunities latent in every step of our Service of God. (Ohr ha-Meir, Shemot)