We often move through life looking back at how things worked out and assuming that it was simply how it was meant to be. Our child got into the right school, a job opportunity came through, the flight took off and landed on time. It all feels natural, almost automatic, as if this was the expected outcome all along, the result of our effort and planning.
But what else is also happening?
This Shabbat is known as Shabbat HaGadol - the ‘Great Shabbat’, named for a remarkable miracle that took place just days before the Jewish people left Egypt. They were commanded to set aside a lamb for a sacrifice, an act that directly challenged the Egyptian deity. When the Egyptians noticed, they questioned the Jews and were told plainly that in four days a final plague would strike, the death of the firstborn. Faced with this, the Egyptian firstborn went to their leaders demanding that the Jews be freed. When they refused, a civil war broke out, Egyptians against Egyptians.
What is striking is that this miracle did not come with thunder or spectacle. It unfolded through what looked like a natural chain of events: fear, pressure, conflict. And yet beneath the surface, something extraordinary was happening. Nature itself was shifting in favor of the Jewish people. The tide was turning.
This Shabbat we are invited to see our own lives through that same lens. What we often call “natural outcomes” may in fact be a steady flow of hidden miracles, so woven into the fabric of daily life that we barely notice them. If we paused to pay attention, we might realize that we are living through blessings we once prayed for.
This Sunday is the 11th day of Nissan, the 124th birthday of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. He lived with the clarity that no day is ordinary. Each day carries its own energy, its own opportunity, its own quiet miracles waiting to be recognized. With a bit more awareness, we can begin to see them.
On a broader level, we are witnessing surprising shifts in the world around us, moments when those once seen as adversaries are now, even if quietly, aligning in the fight against forces that threaten Israel and the Jewish people. These developments remind us that what appears to be natural or political may in fact be part of a larger unfolding.
As we prepare for the Seders next week, let us use this season to recognize the many blessings in our lives not as routine, but as remarkable.