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Meet Me Halfway

By Kayla Hutt

The miracles that occurred were of two different types: the
defeat of the Greeks is not discussed in the Talmud, although
it is mentioned in our daily prayers. This miracle is less obvi-
ous. Meanwhile, the oil lasting far longer than it should have
is an obvious miracle as it defies the laws of nature. Due to
the clear hand God played in this miracle, we are able to attri-
bute God’s hand in the war as well. According to United With
Israel, “for this reason the Talmud emphasizes the miracle of
the lights. In order to draw attention to God’s involvement in
everything, the scholars emphasized the obvious miracle.”

When we clearly see how God helps with something in an
obvious way, we must then take that instance and apply it to
our lives, understanding how He plays a role in every aspect.
Once we understand this, we can then confidently ask God
for what we want and need, being grateful for whichever
outcome He believes is best for us. No matter what, He is per-
forming miracles for us each and every day, being the guiding
hand for us, lighting and leading the way.

So, here we are again. Another year, another anti-Semitic
incident, or one hundred for that matter. But as we have seen Kayla Hutt is currently a freshman at NYU with the intent to major
throughout our history, we will persevere. The story of Chanu- in journalism. Her passions include writing and fashion. She works
kah is no different. We all know the timeless tale of the weak for the End Jew Hatred grassroots movement as well as a part time
and few Maccabees beating the mighty, mighty Greeks and the job in fashion. She writes for the NYU newspaper, the Times of Israel
Blogs and of course, the GNS SCOPE magazine.
oil which miraculously lasted for eight days. “Miraculous” is an
interesting word. It comes from the word “miracle” which is
defined as “a surprising and welcome event that is not expli-
cable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered
to be the work of a divine agency.” The existence of the Jewish
people as a whole can be characterized as a miracle. Unfor-
tunately, we cannot rely on miracles alone to get us through
life and through Jew hatred. We all must do our part and come
together to create a better world.

One of the most common ways we learn to receive miracles
from God is through praying. It is the way we can go 50%, and
hopefully have God meet us halfway. Though we have com-
pleted the Hebrew new year, Jews in the diaspora are lucky
enough to have two new years, and thus two chances to start
anew. As we approach the new year, we can begin to think
about what miracles we wish to see in our lives. What do we
want to pray for? What do we want to use our 50% on? How
willing are we to go the extra mile so God can meet us at our
meeting spot?
The Maccabees asked God for two miracles in their time. They
didn’t want to die, understandably, so they wished to beat the
Greeks. But, they also didn’t want Judaism to die with them,
hence the oil. The oil which miraculously lasted for eight days
kept the light of the Jewish people alive. Therefore, this was a
spiritual miracle. And now, when we light our menorahs in our
windows, we are showing the world our Jewish light, and that
is miraculous.

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