When Jesus warped space

Chapter 6 of the gospel of John preserves an account of a miracle involving what our modern eyes are inclined to identify as “the warping of space-time”:

“So when they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs, they saw Jesus walking on the sea, and coming closer to the ship, and they were afraid! But he said to them, ‘It is I, do not be afraid.’ Then they willingly received him into the ship, and immediately the ship was at the land where they were going.” – John 6:20-21

The circumstances of the event are identical to concept in Judaism coined by the phrase “Kefitzat HaDerekh”:

“Translated literally, kefitzat ha-derekh means “the jumping of the road.” It is usually interpreted, however, as “the shortening of the way.” The phenomenon consists of the swift arrival of a person or persons to a distant destination, accomplished by supernatural means. The travelers must break the laws of nature to fit the concept, and the distance cannot be covered as quickly by walking or riding an ordinary horse, mule, or donkey. . . . Kefitzat ha-derekh can happen spontaneously, as a miracle performed for the benefit of a just and good person who is in trouble.” – Ilil Arbel, Ph.D., Kefitzat Ha-Derekh, Encyclopedia Mythica

Jewish Tradition

Rav Ezra Bick likens Kefitzat ha-Derekh to a “miraculous warp of space.” Although the Rabbi is articulating the phenomenon with modern language borrowed from physics, it can be said without doubt that the concept, while only recently known by the secular world, has been known and discussed by Jews since time immemorial. The inclusion of this concept in the New Testament is proof that it goes back as least as far as the 1st Century.

According to the Talmud, only three individuals have ever merited the miracle of “kefizat haderek”:

“Our Rabbis taught: For three did the land contract: Eliezer, Abraham’s servant, our father Jacob, and Abishai the son of Zeruiah.” – Sanhedrin 95a, Soncino Press Edition

The commentary in this exchange elaborates briefly on each individual mentioned. In the case of Eliezer, Kefizat HaDerek is indicated by his statement made in Genesis 24 verse 42: “And I came that day [Ha Yom] unto the well, and said, O Lord God of my master Abraham, if now thou do prosper my way which I go…” Contrary to most English translations, the Hebrew does not refer to “this day” but “that day.” This does make the statement subject to a certain level of ambiguity:

His intention was to say to the members of Rebecca’s family that on that day he left Canaan and on the same day he arrived, to underscore the miraculous nature of his undertaking on behalf of Abraham. – Sanhedrin 95a

Genesis 28 also features a linguistic oddity:

As it is written: “And Jacob departed from Beersheba and went to Haran” (Genesis 28:10), and it is written thereafter, ostensibly after he arrived in Haran: “And he encountered the place, and he slept there, for the sun had set” (Genesis 28:11). – Talmud Sanhedrin 95a

It is clear enough that Jacob would arrive in Haran. Why wouldn’t the text just say: “After he arrived” or “after he encountered Haran”, why the inclusion of “the place” which is ambiguous enough to suggest a place other than Haran? The sages embraced the opportunity to assume a Kefizat Haderek:

This means that when Jacob arrived at Haran, he said: Is it possible that I bypassed a place where my forefathers prayed and I did not pray there? He sought to return to Beit El. Once he contemplated in his mind to return, the land contracted for him, and immediately: “And he encountered the place,” indicating that he arrived there unexpectedly, sooner than he would have arrived without a miracle. – Talmud Sanhedrin 95a

The sages assumed “a place” of prayer, as a result of the word “encounter” as in “he encountered the place.” The prophet Jeremiah links this word with the concept of prayer:

Alternatively, encounter means nothing other than prayer, as it is stated: “And you, do not pray on behalf of this nation, and do not raise on their behalf song and prayer, and do not encounter Me, for I do not hear you” – Jeremiah 7:16).

The third account of Abishai is entirely dependent on oral tradition and not worth discussing at length. In 2 Samuel verse 17, “Abishai son of Zeruiah” rushes to David’s aid after his capture. The Talmud goes on to embellish this verse, by providing a long story which includes the land contracting so that Abishai could arrive just in time to save David.

In comparison to the three accounts, the text known as Numbers Rabbah provides the most solid evidence. It asserts that the Lord caused the land to shrink so that the spies would not have to travel for longer than forty days. An interesting point is raised:

“AND THEY RETURNED FROM SPYING OUT THE LAND AT THE END OF FORTY DAYS (23:25). But do you not find that they walked [only] from the south to the north in forty days? Would they then have walked through the whole of it in forty days? [Certainly not;] but it was clear to the Holy One, blessed be He, that they would come and utter slander concerning the land, and that years of suffering would be decreed against that generation, a year for each day of spying, and so the Holy One, blessed be He, caused the road to shrink for them.”- Numbers Rabbah 16:15, Soncino Press Edition

The Book of Acts

The one other New Testament account of kefizat haderek is found in the Book of Acts. Immediately after baptizing an Ethiopian Eunuch, the Spirit of the Lord is said to carry the Apostle Philip away so that the Eunuch was left alone, yet no less joyful. The Eunuch left the scene rejoicing, while Philip was evidently transported to “Ashdod” which is 19 Miles away from where the Baptism took place (Gaza):

“Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, ‘Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.’ So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch. . . they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he immersed him. And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing. But Philip was found at Ashdod, and passing through he preached in all the cities, until he came to Caesarea.”
Acts 8:26-27, 38-40