"And For The Miracles"

An additional "Al Ha-Nissim"

This Chanukah, it occurred to me that maybe we should express appreciation not just for the miracles of two thousand years ago, but also for the miracles of this year:

"And we thank You for the miracles, for the redemption, for the mighty deeds, for the saving acts, and for the wonders which You have wrought for our nation in these days, at this time—

In the days of Netanyahu, along with Gallant and the entire IDF, when the wicked Hamas launched a terrible attack for which Israel was appallingly unprepared, and then Arab militias and governments rose up against Your people Israel to slaughter them with guns and rockets and missiles and drones. But You, in Your abounding mercies, stood by the Jewish People in the time of their distress and sacrifice for the nation. You helped them wage their battles and defend their rights. You helped the Mossad neutralize Hezbollah fighters with pagers and walkie-talkies, you helped the Air Force neutralize their rocket arsenal, you helped the air defenses of Israel and its friends successfully defend the country against ballistic missiles from Iran and the Houthis, you helped the brave and committed soldiers of the ground forces in Gaza and Lebanon. You performed dazzling miracles with Syria collapsing overnight and Iran's axis of offense collapsing. You effected a great deliverance and redemption for Your people Israel against terrible threats, and may the world recognize this. May Your children be able to return soon to their homes in the Gaza periphery and the north, may our hostages return home, may our soldiers be successful and safe, and we shall give thanks and praise to Your great Name."

* * *

As 2024 draws to a close, I’d like to mention something. When the war started, I was wondering that while the Biblical Museum of Natural History does important work in terms of inspiring and educating people about Torah, nature and Israel, what role can it play in the war?

Our first thought was to give free admission to evacuees, which we successfully did. Then, based on the feedback that we got, we realized that the museum also has a therapeutic role to play. Martine evacuated with her family from Shlomi, on the border with Lebanon, to escape the daily rocket attacks from Hezbollah. When she visited the museum, after living for a year at the Prima Hotel in Jerusalem, she said, “You can’t imagine how difficult it is to live out of a hotel for so long. The atmosphere at the museum is wonderful and the time with the animals is so good for our kids, helping them relax.” And when we hosted a group from Sderot - all families who had been evacuees for several months and had children on the autism spectrum - one father said, "This is the best therapy for these kids."

We even brought in a therapist to train the staff to maximize the therapeutic benefit of each visit. Personally I particularly like this picture of a girl from the Gaza periphery (tragically orphaned this year) who was very withdrawn and shy, and was nervous of our giant tegu lizard, but when given an iguana puppet, overcame her fears and enjoyed interacting with it:

But it’s not only about helping evacuees. It’s also about helping all our visitors - over forty thousand this year, even without international tourism - with an immensely enriching experience both emotionally and intellectually. Learning about how the Jewish people have a timeless connection to the Land of Israel, through the flora and fauna that are part of our heritage, is an inspirational lesson that has never been more relevant, at a time when so many claim that we are nothing more than European settler-colonialists.

And all this is an addition to our regular mission, of inspiring and educating people from across the entire spectrum of society, from secular through to the most extreme streams of ultra-Orthodox, about the connection between Torah and the natural world.

All the work that we do is made possible with the generous assistance of our family of supporters and patrons. So I’d like to make a request of those appreciate my posts (and even those who don’t!) If you’d like to support our work, please do so at www.BiblicalNaturalHistory.org/donate or by clicking the button below. Thank you!

Wishing you all a happy Chanukah!