Dear Parents,
It is that time of year again when we once again send out our Sparks of Light series. Each night each of our campuses will be receiving short divrei torah and inspirational messages from faculty and students. These messages are meant to be read immediately following your lighting of the candles as you sit and watch the candles burn.
Chazal teach us הַנֵּרוֹת הַלָּלוּ קֹדֶשׁ הֵם, וְאֵין לָנוּ רְשׁוּת לְהִשְׁתַּמֵּשׁ בָּהֵם, אֶלָּא לִרְאוֹתָם בִּלְבָד – our candles are sanctified and as such we are only supposed to look at them rather than use them for light. While you sit together with your families gazing upon the lights – we hope you will read our Sparks of Light and discuss the ideas as well as the messages contained within them.
It is important that we realize that there are two nissim that we celebrate each night of Chanukah – not just the nes nigleh of the oil in which G-d suspended nature, but the winning of the war as well – a nes nistar (hidden miracle) meant to remind us to look around our own lives and find and celebrate the private and quiet miracles that have happened to us over the last 12 months.
COVID has taught us that we cannot take anything for granted. We cannot take coming to school, spending time with friends and seeing family as something that we shouldn’t appreciate, because the global pandemic has taught us that we have so much to be thankful for. Chanukah is a time to remember that HKBH operates through nessim geluim which are so rare to see, but also through nessim nistarim which are so hard to see.
On Chanukah we are taught to publicize these miracles so that we can all help each other to see these nessim nistarim.
The late Rabbi Jonathan Sacks z”l once said:
“A miracle is not necessarily something that suspends natural law. It is rather, an event for which there may be a natural explanation, but which – happening when, where and how it did, evokes wonder, such that even the most hardened skeptic senses that G-d has intervened in history.”
As we enter a COVID Chanukah, I would ask you to consider what are the hidden miracles in your life, but please don’t just think about them. Sit down with your family and discuss them. Go around the table or perhaps over Zoom with loved ones who are isolated and alone and ask them: what are the hidden miracles we should be grateful for? Reflect upon Rabbi Sacks’ definition and ask yourselves, what within our own lives fits within this category and to what extent can we see G-d intervening within our own history and within our own world.
Please remember that hidden miracles need not be grand and life altering, but could be small events that impact our lives in truly meaningful ways.
As you can see from the header above, we are dedicating our Sparks of Light series this year to Mr. Howard Kleinberg z”l – a man who experienced so many hidden miracles, devoted his life to bringing joy to others and whose children and grandchildren remain indelibly connected within our schools. He was a constant bright light within the BAS community and he will be sorely missed.
Yehi Zichro Baruch!
Wishing you eight nights of sparks of light that bring peace and joy to your entire family.
Chanukah Sameach,
Rabbi Seth Grauer
Rosh Yeshiva/Head of School
