Publicizing the Miracle For תרל”ו 8

ענין פרסומי ניסא.

The matter of publicizing the miracle.

The Sefat Emet opens by defining the essential purpose of Chanuka as the revelation and spreading of the miracle.

כי הנס למעלה מהטבע וע”י המעשה במצות נר חנוכה ושאר התעסקות הלל והודאה.

For the miracle is above nature, and through the physical act of the mitzvah of the Chanuka light and through the practices of praise and thanksgiving…

Although the miracle transcends nature, the Sefat Emet teaches that the human actions of lighting and praising serve as conduits that draw this transcendent illumination downward.

ממשיכין הארת הנס בעוה”ז ומתפשט כח הנס כי מצות התלוין במעשה הנס הן המה כח התפשטות הנס.

…one draws the radiance of the miracle into this world, and the miracle’s power spreads; for the commandments connected with the miracle’s act are themselves the means by which the miracle spreads.

The mitzvot do not merely recall the miracle but actively extend its spiritual force into the present moment.

וזה שמברכין שעשה נסים בעת הדלקה אף כי היו צריכין לברך על הימים אף שאין לו להדליק.

And this explains why we bless “Who performed miracles” at the time of lighting, even though one should bless over the days of Chanuka, even if he is not lighting.

The blessing is bound to the act because the act is what enables contact with the miracle itself.

ובגמ’ משמע שאין מברכין רק המדליק או הרואה נר חנוכה.

And the Talmud implies that only one who lights or sees the Chanuka light may recite the blessing.

Only direct engagement—lighting or witnessing—creates the spiritual connection needed to bless.

ולפי דברינו מבואר כי אין תפיסה בגוף הנס רק ע”י המצות יש לאדם קצת התדבקות בנס ויכול לברך כנ”ל.

And according to our explanation, it is clear that one can grasp the miracle only through the mitzvot; through them a person gains some attachment to the miracle and can therefore bless, as explained above.

The mitzvot function as the point of contact through which a human being connects to the divine event and becomes able to articulate its blessing.

Summary: The Sefat Emet teaches that the acts of Chanuka—lighting, praising, thanking—are not commemorations but channels that draw the miracle into the world, enabling one who engages or even sees the mitzvah to bless because he becomes attached to the miracle itself.