everyday miracles

Many people ask the question: "Why in our time are not miracles happen? Those that happened to previous generations. Such as dissection of the Red Sea, such as the miracle of Chanukah ... "

Here is a real case, tell your doctor of Monsey, devote themselves to Torah. Many years ago it was totally non-religious person. Lived in Los Angeles, he worked in the hospital waiting room. Once brought to an unconscious person. It happened to him on the street a heart attack. The doctors tried to fight for his life, but half an hour later were forced to admit the death and disconnect it from all devices. And suddenly, the doctor told the story, surprised to find that the patient moves his arm. He removed the cloth covering the face, the patient was alive .... He tried again to start heart massage, but the sick man stopped him and said, "Your name is Chaim Meir?". The doctor was stunned. Yes, it is his Hebrew name, about which he had heard from his grandmother, but no one ever called him so not everyone knows him as Barry. The patient asked the following question: "You are superimposed on tefillin?" - "No" - "From today start to apply. Observe Kashrut? " - "No" - "Begin to comply." When finished talking, the patient died again.

Many years later, the doctor noted that while this story has not made any impression on him, in no way affected his life, he only shared with colleagues: "The Curious Case occurred to me ...." By keeping the commandments, he came much later.

Miracles happen to us every day. Another thing is that we do not notice. Not all sounds existing in nature, we are able to hear without special equipment, just not having the right tools, we can pass a miracle. Hanukkah - a special time ( "in those days, at this time ..."), when it is easier to see the miracles happening around and to understand what lesson we should derive from them, where we need to re-educate themselves (and Hanukkah Chinuch (education) - cognates).

The question is asked, what is so special was the miracle of the jug of oil, which burned for eight days, because in the times of the Temple of the miracle of the oil took place constantly - oil, calculated on the night, enough for a day. It was during Hanukkah, Jews were able to see this miracle, learn from it, that God - the owner of the world and all the forces ruling in it, that everything that happens in the world happens according to His will, and there is none else besides Him.

And even when there are trouble, they contain a germ of future salvation.

During the war, four hundred Jews - citizens of Germany - were trying to escape to England. England, fearing espionage, send them to Australia. On the ship, the sailors needed. For this purpose, we released a number of prison inmates. As soon as the ship left England, the sailors began to mock passengers. They took their bags with personal belongings, some of the things taken away itself, and all that was they do not need, threw overboard. Including such dear letters ... The Jews were in a foreign country without the necessary things and with no memory of relatives. "For us that God so punished?" - they asked.

A few decades later was found by a German general diary submariner. Among other things, he told me how they were attacked on the trail of an enemy ship, trying to destroy it, but could not. Then they sent a boat exploration, and found that the ship had dropped bags with letters in German. General wrote: "As we were happy that they could not sink the ship on which they were Germans, the same as we are ..."

It was ordered by Hitler (may his name be erased) to accompany and protect a ship to Australia. And only after all the passengers safely disembarked, the Germans found out that the ship - the English, and that he were drowned.

For forty years the Jews were frustrated and grumbled at fate, not yet learned that what happened to them, it was a miracle and mercy from God. If not for the villains, the sailors sent by God, they would have had no chance to escape ...

Miracles happen around us all the time. And eight days of Hanukkah are given to us to learn to see them.

Abridged translation of an article by Rabbi Sh.D.Pinkusa zts''l

Translation and text processing - Hana Berman