The Greatest Miracle of All

By Raizy Friedman, Honor Student at Rohr Bais Chaya Academy in Tamarac, Florida

Someone once said about a particularly self-assured individual: that guy thinks so highly of himself, when he puts a note in the Kosel, it says, “Hi Hashem, let me know if You need anything.”

Sounds funny, but maybe it’s not so funny.

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Three Chasidim were once trading miracle stories about their Rebbes. The first two told wonderful stories, complete with happy endings, success stories they had experienced themselves, and wonders which had bound them even stronger to their beloved Rebbes upon whom they depended.

Then the third Chasid proudly told his story. His Rebbe advised him to invest in a certain deal, and the deal fell through, resulting in a massive, painful financial loss.

The others sat there stunned. “What’s the miracle?” they asked him.

“The miracle,” he answered, “is that I’m still his Chasid.”

Sometime over the past few days, three Israeli Jews were discussing the miracles of Israel’s latest struggle, with Iran.

The first one pointed to the breathtaking success of the Israeli intelligence services, leading to the brilliance of the attacks. The second pointed out the miraculously low casualty rates in Israel from the missile attacks. Imagine how much worse it could be? So many missiles, and such giant weapons? It’s wonderous.

The third said, look at how painful and agonizing this all is: the injured, the lost, the tension, the panic, the anxiety! It’s a miracle!

The other two stared at him. “What’s the miracle?” they asked. The miracle, he told them, is that we are still living here in Israel.

What is a miracle? When Hashem suspends the rules of His natural world, and water stands upright, or hail and fire tolerate each other, or a nation of 9 million people achieves air superiority over a nation of 90 million people – we call that a miracle. Hashem has made something supernatural happen.

But that Hashem can perform miracles – it’s wonderful, but it’s not surprising; He created the laws of nature, so, obviously, He can suspend those laws at will.

But what about when people rise above the laws of their nature? When a Chasid overrides his natural love for financial security and connects to his Rebbe for a deeper reason; when a nation suspends their natural desire for a life of normalcy and tranquility and trades it all in for a life in a HOLY Land, in Eretz Yisrael; the people have made something supernatural happen, they’ve transcended their own nature – that’s not just miraculous. That’s astonishing! That people can do miracles is not just wonderful, it’s a shocking development.

It’s what you might call a Nes Gadol – a GREAT miracle; the kind of miracle inspired by Hashem, but made by man. In fact, considering the fact that, by and large, biblical scale miracles don’t happen that much since sometime around the Beis Hamikdosh, it seems that the ultimate goal was never Hashem’s miracles, but our miracles – the kind displayed by that Chasid, and the kind being displayed right now by the Jews in Israel. Miraculous strength, supernatural Koach.

That Hashem can do miracles for us, and the fact that Rebbe’s can do Mofsim for Chassidim – that’s just the setup. But the goal is our miracles – the miracles we do for Hashem, the Mofsim Chassidim do for their Rebbe.

We will never, ever forget that our high school graduation took place while our brothers and sisters in Israel were contending with the Iran war. We shall never forget that we were celebrating the end of high school while they were praying for the end of a war.

This has to mean something to us. These two events were meant to coincide, to take place alongside each other. There are probably many lessons to be learned, and this is just one. We’ve all been dreaming of what we’d do once we finally finish our twelve years of school, years we thought would never end. We’ve dreamt of goals and accomplishments to be had. But, maybe, we never considered miracle-making as an option. Maybe we never dreamt of the miracles we were going to perform after high school.

Well, as we speak, our fellow Jews in Israel are performing miraculous feats of inner strength, courage, endurance, Ahavas Yisrael and Kiddush Hashem. Why not us?

So, first of all, we’ve already made miracles. Not all Nes Gadols are dramatic and high profile, involving smoke and flames. A Nes Gadol is anytime we succeed in overcoming our natural resistance to do what we believe to be what Hashem wants. If the natural thing to do is to go back to sleep, and you kick off the blanket to go Daven or to go learn – did you not do something supernatural? If the natural path is to give up and drop out, and you power through to stay the course – is that not a miracle?

Overcoming outside or inside pressures to walk away from a Mitzvah or Kedusha of any kind – whether it’s a tumultuous Israel or a long, difficult Kapitel Tehillim – is not only a miracle, it is a miracle done by us, for Hashem. The greatest kind of miracle!

So, whether we’re off to seminary, to Shlichus, to college, to work – whatever we’re doing, we can all hope for the same thing: that opportunities for miracles will roll our way, and that we will find the strength and wisdom to do those miracles. After all the miracles from Heaven that have brought us to this day, we want a chance – let’s do some more miracles ourselves. We can use all the miracles we can get, and Hashem feels exactly the same way.

May Hashem continue to shower Eretz Yisroel with great Nissim, and even bigger Nissim than until now, and may the Yidden of Eretz Yisrael continue to shower Hashem with Nissim Gedolim. And together, may we all perform the greatest Nes Gadol of all, that we succeed in making Hashem’s dream come true – a Dirah Bitachtonim – because we succeeded in bringing Moshiach, and shlepping ourselves and the Shechinah out of Golus.

Because, actually, Hashem does need something: He needs us to bring Moshiach already!

And on that day,
there will be no more war, no more will lions roar, Umul’ah Ha’aretz Deah Es Hashem.