With Hashem's help, let us discuss a topic connected to 'Hanukkah, in the spirit of the Parashiot we read during this period.

The war of the Greeks against Israel was not a physical war like at Purim, where Haman wanted to exterminate all the Jews. Its goal was to darken the eyes of Israel. Whoever wished to become Hellenized could continue to live; what mattered to them was: no Torah study, no sanctification of the month, no Brit Milah, no Shabbat observance.

This idea is already alluded to in the second verse of the Torah.

But where is our hope? The continuation of the verse: "And the spirit of G-d hovered over the waters" — this is King Mashiach! After the exile of Rome comes the redemption.

Facing this attempt to darken the eyes of Israel, we celebrate 'Hanukkah: we light candles. This is the very essence of the Mitzvah.

We also recite Hallel, and in the Amidah we add "Al Hanissim": "That You performed for our fathers in those days, at this time."

We must be spiritually sensitive enough to feel that Hashem performs miracles for us also at this time. Every minute that we breathe is in truth a miracle.

Yet we do not really live with this awareness. We imagine we need a great miracle to feel it. But every moment that the Holy One, blessed be He, creates is a miracle in itself.

The Greeks entered the Temple and defiled all the oil vessels, to prevent the Menorah from being lit in the Beit Hamikdash.

But as the Talmud reports, they "missed" one small flask of oil, sealed with the seal of the Kohen Gadol, containing enough for only one day. A miracle occurred: the oil lasted eight days.

In the Parashah of Vayeshev, after the brothers pulled Yosef out of the pit:

Yosef was in deep distress: sold, separated from his father, going down to Egypt as a slave. What could a smell matter to him? Precisely this: with every breath, Yosef would say: "How is it there is no foul smell? Hashem is doing a chesed with me!" With each breath: "Hashem is with me!"

David slings a stone and strikes Goliath right in the forehead. Let us look carefully at the text.

Goliath was about three meters tall. Had he fallen backward, David would have had to walk several meters to cut off his head. Hashem made him fall forward, at David's feet: "I am with you! This is your sign that you will defeat the Philistines completely."

Back to 'Hanukkah. The small sealed flask, spared by the Greeks, left intact — that is precisely the point.

Hashem's presence is revealed in small things. We must know that He is with us all the time, even if we do not feel it around the clock.

Example: you arrive late, rushed, certain no parking spot is free. Suddenly a car pulls out and you park. That is a wink from Hashem: "I am with you."

At night, before sleep, we recite the Shema. The last verse:

We deposit our soul with Him as a deposit and hope to receive it back in the morning. And in the morning we say: "Modeh ani lefanecha… shehechezarta bi nishmati bechemla" — I thank You, for You have returned my soul to me with compassion.

The message of 'Hanukkah is to develop our spiritual sensitivity to see Hashem's hand in the small details of daily life. Every breath, every "coincidence," every small miracle is a wink from Heaven: "I am with you!"

When lighting the candles, let us remember that the light represents this awareness: Hashem is always present, even in the darkest moments.