Category — Nissan

A religious man sits atop of a roof during a great flood. A man comes by in a boat and says, “Get in! Get in!”

The religious man replies, “No, I have faith in G-d. He will grant me a miracle.”

Soon, the water is up to his waist. Another boat comes by and this guy also tells him to get in. He responds that he has faith in G-d’s kindness. With the water about chest-high, another boat comes to rescue him, but he again turns down the offer because “G-d will grant me a miracle.”

With the water up to his chin, a helicopter throws down a ladder and they tell him to get in. Mumbling, with water in his mouth, he again turns down the offer of help, proclaiming faith in G-d.

He arrives at the gates of heaven with broken faith and cries to G-d:

“I thought You would grand me a miracle; I have been let down!”

G-d softly responds, “I don’t know what you’re complaining about. I sent you three boats and a helicopter….”

***

Did you have any events in your life that you could call a miracle?

Well, first we must define what a miracle is.Many might consider it a miracle for America to win the world cup. Having a government in Israel that finishes its full term would probably enter that category as well. A true declaration of victory in Iraq is certainly a desperate need – for the polls of the president… It would doubtless be a miracle.

The common denominator in all the above scenarios and in all those times we declare phenomena as miracles or pray for one is that these surpass nature. Such a miracle is, by definition, an event that goes against the natural course the world follows.

When an old man lies in open-heart surgery, the stakes are high; his chance for survival is slim. And so we pray for a miracle.

With the score 19-3 in the ninth inning it’s kind of impossible to believe in a comeback, but the diehard fans remain hoping and praying for a miracle.

Yet there is another kind of miracle, one that is often overlooked. For a miracle is nothing more and nothing less than the Hand of G-d at work. Take a moment to reflect on your own life: Have you ever experienced a miracle?

For starters, you were born. That is the greatest miracle – life. Plus, you are able to read this email, meaning that your brain and eyesight are functioning properly. And surely there are those in this selfish world who love you selflessly – the miracle of love.

Search in those tiny encounters, in the cries of a baby, in the roar of a car, in terror attacks averted, in the progress of the sciences.

And if you’re too blinded to see G-d’s Hand in your life, set out to create your own miracle: go beyond your nature by doing a noble act, by making a positive difference in someone else’s life.

Miracles aren’t a thing of the past; they happen daily as millions of people change the world with acts of goodness and kindness. With what do they alter creation if not the power of the Creator?

We have just entered Nissan, the month of miracles. Let us all make the greatest miracle of all and bring Moshiach!