Chanukah, Celebrating the Power of Gd Over "Logic"

My husband awarded
for his volunteer work to
improve our bus service
(photo by Batya Medad)

I've been looking for just the right word to use in the title here, because most of the cliches, standard ways of describing the Chanukah story/message are inherently incorrect. To say that it's the victory over the weak or small against the mighty makes no sense when you think about it. It's more the victory of the apparently weak against the apparently mighty, or the few against the many. But after the Shiloh Pre-Chanukah "Rewarding the Volunteers Evening" during which we were privileged to hear the totally amazing story of Aharon Karov, I feel that both Chanukah and Karov's victories were over "logic" and "science."

Aharon Karov telling his miraculous story
in Shiloh. (photo by Batya Medad)

There is a "might" a strength in the Jewish People due to the Help of Gd, as the macro, and Aharon Karov, also with the Help of Gd, as the micro. The standard way of explaining the reason for the Chanukah Holiday is that when the victorious Maccabees, representing the Jewish People, went to light the ritual light in the Holy Temple on the Temple Mount, which predated Christianity and Islam, only a very small vial/jar of ritually pure oil was found, and it miraculously burned for eight days, long enough to produce new oil.

If you're not familiar with Karov's story, this is it:

Some ten days after his wedding, Karov and his men were tasked with sweeping six buildings for explosives. As he ascended to the second floor of one building, a booby-trap was tripped. Karov was blasted into the stairwell and the entire building crumbled on top of him.
...one EMT actually proclaimed him dead. Then, feeling a faint pulse and realizing that he was not, an EMT made an incision in Karov’s throat to ensure he would keep breathing.
But with eight pieces of shrapnel in his head, all of his teeth knocked out, his nose dislodged, his left eye dismembered, and his stomach and upper left side of his body completely crushed, the prospects of his survival looked grim... (Times of Israel)

A year after the injury, Karov in his first video interview.
Credit: Channel 2 News, IDF blog

At one point his family had been told that he'd never speak again, because the part of his brain controlling speech had been destroyed. As we listened to Karov telling us this, it was further proof that the logic/science of doctors is far inferior to the power of Gd.

Since Karov's recovery, he is a popular and sought-after speaker. He told us that he is always asked what gave him the strength to fight his disabilities and the indescribable pain from which he suffered/suffers. His answer is that looks at everything as a "glass half full." He concentrates on what he can do. He doesn't mourn the loss of vision in one eye, because he is grateful to Gd to see from the other eye.

Karov's delivery is full of humor, yes, Jewish humor. He told us how excited he was months after being wounded when he was finally allowed to eat. He craved steak and all the trimmings but was given babyfood, which was just awful.

Having Karov address us on the eve of Chanukah was so perfect, because his story is a modern Chanukah story, just like the victories of the 1948 War for Israel's Independence, the 1967 Six Days War, the 1973 Yom Kippur War and Israel's technological research superiority over the predictions of the experts. According to logic and experts, there should never have been any of those victories, and according to the very skilled and experienced doctors who received the severely, mortally sic injured Aaron Karov, he was expected to die momentarily.

Chanukah is a Holiday celebrated by Jews, even those who are rather removed from Jewish Tradition. That too is an ongoing miracle and will no doubt encourage Gd to send us the Moshiach speedily in our days...

Video: The Story of Aharon Karov, made by his father.

Chag Urim Sameach

May You have an Enlightened Chanukah