One winter, my family and I vacationed in the state of Vermont for a few days. We stayed at a motel on the first floor. Since it was Chanukkah, we brought along a menorah. After a full day of sightseeing, we came back to the motel and I opened the curtains to light the menorah by the window as I do every year, to proclaim the miracle to others (pirsumé nisa). My wife, however, told me to close the curtains, as we hadn't asked permission and someone outside might tell the front desk who would then tell us to put it out, being a fire hazard. She told me that it's perfectly all right to light just for our family. I knew she was right, and listened to her, but was disappointed I couldn't put it in the window. Closing the curtains, I put the menorah on the dining room table and lit it. The next morning, I was in the lobby of the motel when a man came over to me and wished me a happy Channukah. He then took my hand and began shaking it repeatedly while thanking me for what I had done for him. I had never met the man before and had no idea what he was talking about, so I asked him to explain. He told me that the previous evening when he was in his motel room, he suddenly heard the words to the Chanukkah blessings being chanted in Hebrew. He had completely forgotten that it was Chanukkah! The man went out to a hardware store, bought a candle, and lit it in his room! He was thanking me for reminding him that it was Chanukkah! I thought of Avraham Avinu and the three malachim (angels) who came to visit him. Avraham wanted to fulfill the mitzvah of hachanas orchim (inviting guests) so much, that Hashem finally decided to send him some. Here too, Hashem saw my disappointment and enabled me to fulfill pirsumé nisa the optimum way, showing me His great love for every Jew. I learnt an important lesson that day. Pirsumé nisa does not necessarily have to come about through others seeing the miracle. If Hashem wants, He can cause it to come about through others "hearing" of the miracle! That Channukah, I understood the expression "the walls have ears" in a "new" light!
Important Numbers
