There are two types of miracles: the neis nistar (the hidden, concealed miracle) and the neis nigleh ( the open, obvious miracle)

Chanukah is popular and beloved, perhaps because it does not require us to do anything but light the menorah — no shofar, no lulav or esrog or succah or obligatory Megillah reading or matzos. (Pssst! If you don’t eat latkes or sufganiyot during Chanukah, you do not burn in the netherworld. On the contrary, you and your stomach will feel heavenly.)

Because of Chanukah’s demotion — powered mostly by profit-driven merchants — into a Jewish version of Xian December festivities, a deep dive into a little-known element of Chanukah is not out of place.

Even a cursory glance at the sources of Chanukah reveals a profound difference in the way the daily Shemoneh Esreh treats it, and the way the Talmud treats it.

The al hanissim insert in the Shemoneh Esreh celebrates the remarkable military victory of “the few against the many,” but only hints at the miracle of the vial of oil burning for eight days. On the other hand, the Talmud, in Shabbos 21b, celebrates the burning vial of oil, but only hints at the miraculous military victory.

Why the differing emphases? We can clarify this by remembering that there are two types of miracles: the neis nistar (the hidden, concealed miracle) and the neis nigleh ( the open, obvious miracle).

The siddur seems to be referring to the hidden type of miracle, the kind that seems quite ordinary and unremarkable, that is not accompanied by peals of thunder and flashes of lightning that no one can overlook. Rather, it is the mundane, regular, nonspectacular miracles that sustain us day by day — in the words of the Modim that immediately precedes that Chanukah insert: “nisecha sheb’chol yom imanu, that accompany us every day.”

The Talmud, by contrast, focuses on the neis nigleh, the obvious miracle: a tiny vial of oil burning for eight days.

Unlike study of Shabbos 21b, which is not done every day, we recite the Shemoneh Esreh three times a day — which means that during the eight days of Chanukah we recite that special al hanissim insert a total of 24 times.

Perhaps this is because a hidden miracle needs more emphasis than an obvious one. The siddur’s al hanissim, beyond its focus on Chanukah, ever so subtly pokes us in the shoulder and alerts us to the ubiquitous, hidden miracles that surround us constantly — supernatural, transcending miracles clothed in ordinary garb: childbirth, friendship, love, family, kindness, the miracles of sight and hearing, the ability to learn and pray. The list is endless, but because they are daily, we take them for granted. The al hanissim prayer reminds us to thank and acknowledge G-d for the ordinary and common daily miracles.

What often goes unnoticed is that the two differing versions each have the identical, climactic ending: that the festival was established lehodos ulehallel — to thank and to praise G-d. That is, both the siddur and the Talmud make this the center point of the celebration.

This is exemplified by the fire of the menorah. Fire is not an independent entity; it requires fuel. The flame of the menorah is sustained only because there is oil that fuels it. Similarly, the universe is sustained only because there is a Creator Who fuels it and sustains it from one second to the next.

Thus, the joy and delight of Chanukah carries along with it some serious reminders: the ever-present miracles of our daily lives, and the ever-present sustenance of the One Who creates miracles large and small. Which is a good thought to keep in mind while we gaze at our brightly lit menorahs — and strive heroically to resist just one more latke....

(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 1042)