One Last Chanukah Thought

As Chanukah of 5774 becomes a memory, we need to ask ourselves what we are taking with us in our upward spiral of life. We all know that Matisyahu and his sons rebelled against the Greeks and it was only through Hashem’s help that he was victorious. Hashem saw his self-sacrifice and once Chashmonaim took the first step to defend their way of life in the service of Hashem, The Almighty helped them take the second. One message that we can take from this is to know that Hashem is paying attention to us whether we acknowledge it or not. He has always loved us and he always will. He believes in us and He wants us to succeed. The Master of the World has not lost our file!

Hashem sent me and my family this message twice around the time of Chanukah. When I came home from Craig hospital more than six years ago it was two days before Chanukah and last year Ahuva Nava came home on the first day. Both of these occurrences are so far apart yet share that same message; “I love you and I haven’t forgotten about you. There is never a moment that I’m not paying attention to you, I want you to succeed!”

This is a message that all of us can take from the light of Chanukah into the darkness of winter and the rest of the year. There is rhyme and reason to everything in Hashem’s world. In the monotony of our everyday lives we need to constantly remind ourselves that we have a special connection with Hashem that no one has ever had or will have and we have to treasure this.