W e Jews believe in miracles. The miracle of the oil burning for eight days is as familiar to us as any lullaby. You’d think therefore that by the time adulthood rolled along we would have a firm belief in miracles a virtual expectation of their arrival. But while some of us do many of us don’t.

“I can’t laugh anymore. My heart has a stone wrapped around it. Every time I look at my beautiful daughter — a kind accomplished 32-year-old balaas chesed whose husband walked out on her and their four children — I just want to cry. How can she rebuild her life? What normal man will want to take on the package of her and her children especially since one of her little ones has special needs? It would take a miracle.”

Yes of course — a miracle. As Jews we believe in miracles; we’ve experienced so many of them. In our daily lives we may not need the kind of miracle that defies nature. Often we simply need a miracle like that of the Maccabees’ victory — one that defies the odds. We need something that’s unlikely but not impossible.

“The doctor said that the chances of his survival are less than one in a million. He suggested that we put his affairs in order.”

It’s true that some events have a low statistical likelihood of happening: certain business ventures certain health outcomes certain opportunities. But what is that to us the believers in miracles that we are! Why should we be “realistic ” or negatively affected by the “chances” of something happening? We don’t even believe in “chance!” We believe that the Omnipotent One answers our prayers. Our sages tell us that our conviction that this is so — our trust in Hashem — actually becomes the vessel for the blessing. Our worry (read “doubt in Hashem’s ability and desire to make it so”) shuts off that pipeline. So why would we go there?

Bad Mental Habits 

There are many reasons why we worry including inherited tendencies parental models and most commonly bad mental habits. When we worry we ruminate on a negative outcome. Worrying that a spouse will lose his job means picturing and thinking about all that will take place: the pink slip the depressed partner the loss of income the stress. Real-world events may trigger such a worry: a bulletin about an upcoming company takeover or a notice about company-wide budget cuts and layoffs. Someone who’s used to thinking in terms of “chances” and “realistically” may anticipate the “natural” consequences of the frightening bulletin.

Our mechanical thinking tool — our brain — is a rather lazy creature of habit. Once it hooks onto a compelling thought (and frightening thoughts tend to be compelling) it wants to play it over and over like a broken record.

The more we run the “worry movie ” the better and faster the brain becomes at playing it releasing stress hormones with every replay. Soon our reserves are depleted. We live on fear and pills waiting for the axe to drop.

Belief

An oft-repeated thought becomes a belief. When we repeat the idea in words and pictures that Hashem can fulfill our dreams for good then we train our brains to hold onto the lesson of Chanukah; we train ourselves to believe in Hashem’s mercy kindness and power. As our “lazy” brain returns again and again to the pictures and thoughts we concentrated on our belief faith and peace of mind grow ever stronger.

As owners of our mental faculties we can determine which movies we want to watch. At first we must fight the old mental habit of focusing attention on scary negative outcomes. Soon however it becomes easier and more natural to consider a positive possibility. Giving up our reliance on statistics evidence and even personal experience and placing ourselves in the hands of the only and ultimate Power in the universe — Who wants us to trust in Him — we live our lives in the miracle zone.

Daily joy from personally generated positivity becomes an immediate new reality. And as Hashem fulfills the trust we put in Him our collection of “evidence” changes as well. While bad things can still happen the non-worrier saves bad feelings for painful occasions instead of feeling bad every day just in case something bad happens tomorrow. When worries overtake you think back to the Chanukah candles and remember: We do believe in miracles. (Originally featured in Family First Issue 571)