Count Your Blessings
One day of Chanukah, a couple approached me. The woman had a question which bothered her:
“Honored Rav, during these days, we thank Hashem for the miracle of Chanukah, which happened thousands of years ago. Those miracles were tremendous. Can’t Hashem perform a modern-day miracle for us to celebrate nowadays?” She was quite perturbed by this.
“Just today, you experienced a mighty miracle,” I quickly responded.
The couple looked at each other, puzzlement written on their faces. “No,” they replied. “Nothing special at all occurred to us today.”
But I stubbornly plowed on. “The great miracle is that you woke up today! And this is after the miracle of your hearts beating all through the night. And you didn’t swallow your tongues in your sleep.
“Is this not considered a miracle? Many people did not merit waking up today. Others woke up partially paralyzed. Here you are, hale and hearty, walking and talking. Each and every moment of your lives is an open miracle. Why do you insist that Hashem must make a rare phenomenon in order to reveal His power?
“This is all the machinations of the Yetzer Hara. He casts a pallor of placidity on the routine and mundane. He persuades you to take everyday miracles for granted.
“Your mission is to overcome the Yetzer Hara. At any given time, try to think of the myriad miracles taking place in your lives. This exercise will flex your muscles of gratitude to Hashem. You will succeed in finding countless examples of His miracles. Then, when you recite the Al Hanissim prayer in the Shemoneh Esrei and Birkat Hamazon, you will include the modern-day miracles of everyday living, thanking Hashem with all your heart.”
