Miracle Through Mitzvah Devotion For תרל”ז 1
בליל א’ שמקשין מהנס היה בו.
“On the first night, which people question what miracle was present in it.”
The Sefat Emet notes the classic difficulty: what miracle occurred on the first night if there was enough oil for one day?
אבל נראה כי על ידי שקיימו בלילה הראשונה מצות הדלקת המנורה בלב שלם בזה זכו לנס.
“But it seems that because they fulfilled on the first night the mitzvah of lighting the Menorah with a whole heart, through this they merited the miracle.”
The miracle was a response to their wholehearted devotion in performing the mitzvah despite limited oil.
שכן נזכר בסדר על הנסים לזכות מה שהדליקו נרות בחצרות קדשך.
“For it is mentioned in Al ha‑Nissim to give merit for their lighting candles in the courtyards of Your sanctuary.”
Al ha‑Nissim emphasizes that their act of lighting itself was their merit and the basis for divine favor.
פי’ שעיקר שמחתם בניצוח המלחמה היה כדי לקיים מצות המקום ב”ה.
“Meaning, their primary joy in the victory of the war was in order to fulfill the commandments of the Holy One, blessed be He.”
Their joy was not military triumph but the restored ability to serve God.
וכאשר ראה הקב”ה חביבות המצות להם עשה להם נס:
“And when the Holy One, blessed be He, saw their belovedness of the commandments, He performed a miracle for them.”
The miracle was a divine response to their passion for mitzvot, revealing that devotion draws down divine assistance.
The first night’s miracle came measure for measure: their wholehearted commitment to the mitzvah elicited God’s miraculous sustaining of the light.
