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The Nes of the Ner Maarvi

Written by Benjamin A Rose

The candles of the Menorah were filled with oil to last through the night. The Ner Maaravi miraculously lasted all day until the next night. Rav Yehonoson Eibushitz asks, if so why did they bother filling it with enough oil for the night if a few hours later it would burn through a “Nes”? Also, why was Chanukah such a surprising Nes if the Ner Maaravi did the same trick every day?

He answers that as the famous song goes “Le-hagid ba-boker chasdecho… – to tell of Your kindness in the morning” daytime is a time of Chesed and Hashem does many Nissim by day. “ve-emunoscha ba-leilos.. – Your faith/beleif (in Hashem e.g. doing Nissim) by night,” Nighttime however is a time of Din and not a time of miracles. Therefore the Ner Maaravi was filled with oil for the daytime and a Nes was no big deal. The Nes of Chanukah which occurred at night was a far bigger Nes than the Nes of the Ner Maaravi.

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