The Miracle We Stopped Calling a Miracle.
As we are grateful for the return of the last hostage and hero, Ron Gvilli, we can reflect on the miracles that we are grateful for.
During their journey in the desert the Jewish people experienced miracles everyday. One of the miracles was the miracle of the Manna. Every single day, food descended from heaven, precisely measured, perfectly timed. That was clearly a miracle, perhaps even the greatest miracle they experienced on their journey out of Egypt and into the wilderness.
And yet, for some reason, it doesn’t receive the same fanfare or excitement as the dramatic miracle of the Splitting of the Sea. Why?
Why do we speak with awe about walls of water standing upright, yet barely pause over forty years of heavenly sustenance? Why does a single moment of spectacle capture our imagination more than a daily reality of Divine care?
The answer reveals a deep truth about human nature. The sea split once. The Manna fell again and again and again. We are impressed by miracles that interrupt nature. We are moved by what is sudden, dramatic, and extraordinary. But we grow numb to miracles that become routine. When something repeats itself consistently, we stop calling it a miracle, even when it clearly is one.
Life itself is the greatest example. Waking up each morning, breathing, family, children, birth, a family Simcha. Because these moments are steady, reliable, and expected, we label them “normal.” But they are no less miraculous than the splitting of the sea.
The lesson is clear:
Let’s try to be grateful for the daily miracles. The best way to do that is through the morning blessings and prayers, which were formed and created for this purpose.
Rabbi Zalman & Esty
