Rabbi Berel Wein spoke these very words at Beth Israel Congregation in Miami Beach in June 1967.
Of course, he was referring to the annihilation of the Egyptian army’s air force executed by Israel’s unbelievable infamous Six Day War attack.
It’s always hard for us to imagine what a wonderful victory that was but suffice it to say, ask anyone who was around for it and they will tell you it was easy to see the hand of God. I remember my friend’s father David Dobin, z”l mentioning that he remembered the feeling of Israeli pride and invincibility, which was palpable to everyone as the victory was swift, calculated and precise.
This past Shabbos, my wife, Adina, said to me, “Avi, can we just acknowledge what we witnessed this week as nothing short of a miracle. Think about it. Israel preplanned the execution in such a precise way. First, they had to sell them the beepers and walkie-talkies. Second, they had to execute them by minimizing the loss of innocent life. This operation took precise detailed planning. Ironically, the very terrorists who were blown up actually paid money for the beepers that blew them up in the first place. Within a few days, walkie-talkies started exploding in the very same way, and then, of course, the targeted assassination of many of Hezbollah leadership culminating in the disintegration of Nasrallah is nothing short of colossal.”
Well, when she put it that way, I realized that very similar to the Six Day War, Hashem made an open miracle for all of us to see.
Too often we complain to Hashem: “When are you gonna stop this evil from perpetrating and permeating every corner of the earth.? We just need a sign, Hashem. When is the craziness going to end?” And then, suddenly, out of nowhere, God reveals Himself through His army. But what about all of the other miracles?
Obviously, the Six Day War and the recent execution of many top operatives in the evil terrorist regime are easy to spot, but what about the miracles we experience every day. The person who “almost” gets hit by a car, or the person who is miraculously saved by a wonderful doctor who just happened to specialize in that specific issue. The child who is a living nightmare yet miraculously grows up to become a contributing member of Klal Yisrael. The singles who never thought they would share a roof with a significant other yet suddenly find themselves married with children. We tend to expect miracles to come in big flashy packages yet many times, miracles — like gifts — come in different packaging.
Without a doubt, we should all celebrate this unbelievable display of God’s mighty hand. Yet let us also train ourselves to see the hand of God in more common, natural events that we take for granted.
Like breathing easily. Or taking a walk without stumbling. Or seeing or hearing without the need for injections or medications.
Our ability for us to function on a daily basis is truly nothing short of a miracle. All the moving parts within the human body are so complex that even with all of the technology available to mankind, no one has ever been able to fully replicate a human being. God’s handiwork is simply too complex, the pinnacle of perfection. Our blood, the human eye, the ability to reproduce the intricate details of our way system. The breakdown of foods into energy and muscle is nothing short of mind blowing. Blood’s unique characteristic of containing endless DNA markers, not to mention the ability to oxygenate all of the muscles, tissues and organs, is nothing short of amazing.
Did we ever stop to think what a miracle it is every time we swallow food? From the moment it hits our mouths, God puts pleasure centers on the tongue, allowing us to enjoy sweet and salty and everything in between as it continues to reach our stomachs. It is a very complex system, all working in unison to bring the food into the proper places while separating the waste from the nutrients, breaking down the foods into solids and liquids, secreting all of the necessary nutrients and hormones to their appropriate places.
Yet because most of us do it every day without a hitch, we take it for granted. I recently had a trying experience of dealing with severe bloating and acid reflux. It affected my career, my mental well-being — not to mention my general mood. Baruch Hashem things are improving, but the one thing I can say with complete certainty is that I am far more appreciative of the simple gift of eating, acknowledging the daily miracle of eating. Brachas certainly become a lot easier when you realize how lucky you are to have something!
Let us all stand up and praise God for this most unbelievable display of His great might through Israel’s great army. But let us also view the natural events of our daily lives with the same awe and appreciation and come to a place where we realize that our very existence, after thousands of years of persecution, is the greatest miracle of all.
Avi Ciment lives in Florida and is a longtime columnist for The Jewish Press. He lectures throughout the world and has just finished his second book, “Real Questions, Real Answers.” He can be reached at www.avitalks.com.
