The days of Chanukah are a time to thank Hashem and praise His Great Name “…for Your miracles, for Your wonders, and for Your salvations.” We recall what Hashem did for our forefathers and for us as a nation. We recall how He, in His great love for us, saved us from countless enemies – people who were much bigger and stronger than us.
But Chanukah is much more than a memorial; it’s meant to teach us an important lesson. Our gratitude and praises that we sing during the eight days of Chanukah are the very reason why the story of Chanukah had to happen in the first place.
Whenever we find ourselves in a dark and painful situation, we can learn from this message of Chanukah and have emunah that a y’shuah will come as long as we are doing our end.
According to the Baal Shem Tov, everyone must go through five stages in life:
1) Experiencing suffering
2) Accepting the suffering in love as an atonement
3) Praying that the suffering or difficult experience should end
4) Experiencing a y’shuah
5) Thanking and praising Hashem
David HaMelech says (in T’hilim 118:21): “Odecha ki anisani, va’t’hi li liyshuah – I give thanks to You because You afflicted me and You were for me a salvation.” We can have emunah that our prayers are not in vain, that a y’shuah will come, because the situations and places that we find ourselves in are not by chance. They and all of their details are there in order for us to find the light hidden within and then reveal that light to the world.
This is the message of Chanukah: that Hashem is there in the darkness, waiting to bring us out of whatever galus we are in. But we have to believe that we are good enough and important enough for that to happen. We have to encourage ourselves with the idea that Hashem desires something in me, and only I, and I alone, have the ability to bring it out and shine it into the world.
(Material was previously published on ShiratMiriam.com)
List of People Who Need a R’fuah Sh’leimah (a complete recovery)
Please recite Psalms 20, 30, 88, 121, and 130.
Boris Baruch ben Frecha Frida
Chaim Avraham ben Shifrah Zisel
Shimshon Shimon ben Mazal
Aharon Mordechai ben Sharon
Yaakov Yisrael Pinchas ben Tovah
Yisachar Dov ben Chayah Brachah
Tinok ben Chanah
Azriel ShemTov ben Brachah Esther
Shmuel Aryeh ben Sarah Rachel
Ronny Tzalach ben Simchah
Shmuel Aryeh ben Sarah Rachel
Moshe ben Devorah
Yehoshua ben Miriam
Yosef ben Leah
Nisan ben Yael
Efrayim Gavriel ben Esther
Chaim Yehudah HaLevi ben Sarah
Refael Meir HaLevi ben Esther
Mordechai ben Evelyn
David Chaim ben Rivkah
Moshe Leib ben Chanah Breindel
Eynav ben Tziporah
Yair ben Sarah
Moshe ben Zlata
Yishai Shimon ben Sigal
Shmuel ben Nazima
Yaakov Yisrael Pinchas ben Tovah
Nissim ben Miriam
Levi ben Malkah
Yigal ben Nina
Arthur Avraham ben Bella Berta
Ezra Refael ben Taoos Miriam
Evon bas Sally
Luna bas Rachel
Malkah bas Miriam
Tovah Yocheved bas Esther Bukas
Ruchamah Perel Malkah Leah bas Chanah Serel
Esther Hadassah bas Devorah
Ronit bas Rivkah
Mahnaz bas Nosrat
Sylia bas Rachel
Karen bas Rachel
Shoshanah Shurah bas Zin
Sonia bas Raya Rachel
Tinok bas Chanah Moriyah
Brachah Chanah bas Sarah
Devorah bas Esther
Batya bas Moonavar
Sarah bas Alizah
Chavah bas Bayla
Bella Berta bas Raya Rachel
Taliah Tanya bas Nina Nekadam
Raya Rachel bas Esther
Alizah Sima bas Sheina Brachah
Rivkah bas Sarah
Rachel bas Yaffah
Mehrnaz bas Malkah Molouk
Gittel Feige bas Miriam Sarah
Sally Ronit bas Taoos Miriam
Masha bas Ansha Beila
