There was a really sad piece in the Israeli news regarding a terrible accident that took place last week. They were interviewing a male survivor of the accident who was pulled out from a burning car while he was in his hospital bed, “It is a miracle that you are alive,” said the interviewer. The injured man replied, “This is not a miracle, it would have been a miracle if the accident would have never happened in the first place.”.
He was wrong and right at the same time. For sure his survival from this terrible accident was a miracle. However, he was correct that should the accident have never occurred it would have been a miracle.
Everyday that goes by without any accidents or mishaps is a miracle and we need to appreciate and thank God.
On Chanukah we celebrate the miracle of a flask of oil’s light lasting for 8 days but we also need to celebrate something that we take for granted: The survival of the Jewish people despite thousands of years of persecution and antisemitism. This thanks we express in the second blessing that we recite when we light the candles each day of Hanukkah, Hashem made miracles for our forefathers in their days and in our days.
Today we don’t see today any miracles of oil lasting for 8 days but we see a bigger miracle the survival of the Jewish people after a holocaust, let us not take it for granted but thank Hashem. Also we all need to do our bit that Judaism does not only survive but also thrives.
Rabbi David Bassous 