In the United States Chanukah and Christmas are gift giving holidays. And that’s okay. It’s nice to show appreciation for the people you love. However, there is another important element to these two very different holidays… miracles.
The word miracle derives from the Latin word for wonder.
But in common usage, wonderful is not the same as miracle. To be a miracle there has to be something completely unexpected, something that goes against the grain of the ordinary.
Yet, most of us live in a skeptical society, where a great many people are convinced that miracles are simply impossible.
Maybe that’s because too often in our lives we seek miracles instead of actually being miracles. We all have the ability to change someone’s life even in the most minor of ways. We all have the ability to do something completely unexpected, or against the grain of the ordinary for someone in our lives.
If you are to be anything this holiday season, be miraculous! Be unexpectedly awesome! Be a miracle for someone in need of a little wonder.
Happy Holidays to all my friends and family. You continue to give me the miracle of love, and I hope I can give back to you in the year to come.
B’shalom,
Rabbi Michael Perice