The Nissim Since Rosh Chodesh Kislev

By Rabbi Yair Hoffman

Chanukah is fast approaching and we need to reflect on the two Nissim of Chanukah:

The nais that the oil kept burning
The nais of the remarkable military victory.

QUESTION: But, why did Chazal emphasize the first nais over the second one?

ANSWER: So that we will not make a mistake and ignore the role of Hashem and wrongly attribute things to superior military moves and the like.

When someone does you a favor it is wrong not to express gratitude. It is also wrong to go about life not even noticing that favor. This is certainly true, when the favor came from Hashem. It is brought down in numerous Seforim, that the ha’arah of Chanukah of the 25^th of Kisleve actually begins from Rosh Chodesh Kislev. Since Rosh Chodesh Kislev, Klal Yisroel has seen tremendous bracha. There have been such incredible brachos – that we would all be remiss in not notching up our Kavana in the Shmoneh Esreh we recite 3 times each day – particularly in Modim.

So what exactly happened?

We have had a miraculous reduction of threats to acheinu bnei yisroel in Eretz Yisrael. Through His infinite mercy, we have witnessed the extraordinary diminishment of dangerous weapons that had threatened northern Eretz Yisroel. We can actually list a new 10 Makkos.

Through incredible syata d’shmaya, ninety percent of Syria’s advanced anti-aircraft missiles have been eliminated, including their very sophisticated Russian made SA22 and SA17 systems.
Furthermore, eighty-five percent of all Syrian air defense capabilities have been neutralized, removing a very grave threat to our brothers and sisters.
Hashem has also enabled the complete destruction of Syria’s SU-22 and SU-24 squadrons – which comprise some forty percent of the entire Syrian air force.
Every single one of their explosive drone capabilities has been removed.
Their radar systems have been essentially eliminated,
We have seen the neutralization of 390 significant firepower targets. Thus, approximately eighty percent of Syria’s larger-scale firepower has been eliminated.
Multiple underground military targets were discovered and struck, leaving only a single border crossing point for potential weapons transfer.
The Iranian military presence has been largely removed from Syria, demonstrating His continued watchfulness over our people.
Hezbollah’s Drone Unit 127 leadership has been eliminated, and seventy to eighty percent of their long-range and strategic weapons have been destroyed.
And sixty to seventy percent of Hezbollah’s command structure has been neutralized.

As we reflect on these events, we must remember that while we acknowledge these tactical successes, our ultimate protection comes from Above. Just as our ancestors relied on Hashem’s protection throughout our history, we too place our trust in His continued guardianship over Klal Yisroel.

In Az Yashir we read the reaction of the nations in the aftermath of the exodus from Egypt: “Then the chieftains of Edom were startled; as for the powerful men of Moab, trembling seized them.” Rav Chaim Shmulevitz, zt’l, notes that this pasuk seems to be revealing some great chiddush or insight.

Yet is it not obvious that when faced with open miracles people are startled and tremble? (Hagaddah of the Roshei Yeshiva of Mir, p. 226)

Rav Chaim Shmulevitz answers that it is not. It is the nature of people not to change themselves even after seeing open miracles. “This explains why people around us now are not changing after seeing the open miracles of the Six Day War,” adds Rav Shmulevitz. This shmuess was delivered in June 1967 in the Mirrer Yeshiva in Yerushalayim. The Mir experienced an open miracle when a bomb that crashed through the ceiling did not explode.

May Hashem continue to watch over and protect His people, and may these events herald the coming of true and lasting peace for all of Klal Yisroel and the world.

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