MIRACLES
This week is Chanukah or the Festival of Lights. It commemorates the extraordinary feat of Judah Maccebee and his small band of fighters defeating a much, much larger Syrian army. In fact, they were outnumbered 100 to one.
It seems that in about 333 BCE Alexander the Great conquered Syria, Egypt and Babylonia. Under his rule, the Jews were not treated too badly. However in 167 BCE, Syrian King Antiochus IV, a successor to Alexander the Great, began to openly persecute the Jews, including prohibiting them from studying Torah and desecrating the Second Temple.
These actions caused a small band of Jews, led by Judah Maccabee to revolt. Although greatly outnumbered, Judah and his forces were able to defeat the very much larger Syrian army.
With this victory, the Jews wanted to rededicate the Second Temple. To do so, among other things, required re-lighting the menorah which typically burns continuously. Judah and his men found only enough oil for the menorah to burn one day. However, they needed eight days to obtain a fresh supply of oil, and thus to keep the menorah lit continuously.
As miracles would have it, that one day’s worth of oil lasted for eight days – long enough for the Maccabees to obtain a fresh supply of oil. To celebrate this miracle, the festival of Chanukah was declared.
Miracles – this is an important concept both in the story of Chanukah and in the story of our everyday lives, especially during this holiday season. While our rationality tells us that “miracles do not exist” and we should not place false hopes in one occurring, our everyday lives tell us something different. Examples readily come to mind that miracles do happen – someone walks away from a horrendous crash without a scratch, another person is found alive after many days lost in the mountains or buried under an avalanche of snow or a third person wakes up from a coma after many years and so on. The news seems to be full of miracles that are not “supposed” to happen.
I am dedicated to the peacemaking process because I believe in miracles. I witness people telling me that there is no way their case will settle, only to witness them signing a settlement agreement several hours later. Often times when I walk into a room to start a mediation, I am the only optimistic person in the room: I am the only one who believes in the miracle that this particular case will, indeed, settle. I witness the “impossible” happening with looks of doom and gloom turning into twinkles in the eye and smiles on the faces.
In short, mediation can and does work miracles.
So. . .believe in miracles. . . they do happen!
Happy holidays!
. . .Just something to think about.
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