Ask Haviv Anything – Episode 67: Miracles in the Dark. A Response to Bondi
Host: Haviv Rettig Gur
Date: December 15, 2025

Brief Overview

In this somber yet profound episode, Haviv Rettig Gur responds to the Hanukkah season and the tragic massacre of Jews in Sydney, Australia, with a meditation on history, Jewish survival, miracles, and the lessons of Hanukkah. He examines how Jews adapt to recurring cycles of violence, the dangers of public Jewish life, and the dual role of miracles and human agency in Jewish tradition—all while reminding listeners of the fragility and preciousness of the light Jews bring into a darkened world.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Tragedy in Sydney & the Condition of Jewish Life in the Diaspora

• Context: The episode is recorded on the day of a massacre in Sydney, underscoring, for Gur, the persistent, global threat to Jewish communities.
• Gur recounts visits to Melbourne, witnessing intense security measures at Jewish institutions, and consistent reports of harassment:
  • "All Jewish gatherings in Australia will now look different. Jews will think differently about themselves. It follows on the attack in Colorado and the attack in Washington D.C. and of course, the attack in Manchester. There is a wholesale, persistent wave of killings of Jews." (00:20)
• He criticizes the Australian political class for denial and inaction:
  • "An Australian political class that doesn't give a shit, that is deeply committed to pretending nothing is happening because it is racist to say anything is happening. And now people are dead and people will be dead again because this doesn't go away."
• Gur frames antisemitism as an indicator not just of threats to Jews, but to the health of the liberal order itself.

2. Hanukkah, History, and Its Modern Resonance

• Hanukkah is unique among Jewish holidays for being rooted in practical, recorded history, not just myth.
• Story of Hanukkah: The oppression of Jews under Antiochus IV, who, after humiliation by Rome, attempts to erase Jewish religion and culture—sparking the Maccabean revolt.
  • The miracle of the oil occurs only after human action—rebellion, toil, and sacrifice.
• The Hanukkah tale is retold as a model for Jewish responses to adversity: miracles follow human effort, not passivity.

3. Human Agency, Miracles, and Jewish Philosophy

• Gur discusses criticisms he’s received for minimizing the role of God in Jewish historical success, focusing on human, societal, and structural factors instead.
• He distinguishes between two classic Jewish approaches to miracles:
  • Mystical (Ramban / Nachmanides): Miracles are continuous; reality is a constant emanation of God’s will, with no true object permanence or fixed laws of nature. Every moment is a miracle.
    • “There is no nature... All things are miracles. There is only one miraculous, constant emanation from the divine.” (42:40)
  • Philosophical (Rambam / Maimonides): Miracles are rare, inserted into the original fabric of creation, but humanity mostly operates within a world of natural laws and consequences. Human responsibility is essential.
    • “At the beginning, he placed into nature that it would produce everything it would later produce.” (45:00)
• Gur allies himself with Rambam’s view for its embrace of human agency, responsibility, cause and effect, and the importance of building and striving:
  • "I don't want to live in a universe without consequences. I love the idea of an intimate universe… but it's also a world with much less cause and effect... less reason to build."

4. Cultural Lessons: Trust, Responsibility, and Societal Success

• Societies that build trust, honesty, and self-critique have higher achievements—science, technology, institutions.
  • “Trust and honesty are fundamental because high trust societies can build sophisticated institutions that can accomplish more things.”
• Miracles, in Gur’s view, are not gifts for the faithful who wait, but for those who labor and sacrifice:
  • “Miracles are the result of work and struggle and sacrifice.”
• He recalls his father's experience in the 1973 war, rejecting passive divine intervention in favor of God working through human courage and resolve:
  • “God acted that day, but he acted by stealing the hearts of the men and women who fought and maneuvered and planned and died … God's help is a function of devotion, of commitment, of sacrifice.” (54:00)

5. Gratitude, Ingratitude, and the Heart of Hanukkah

• An exploration of the “yetzer hara” (evil inclination), not just as base urges but as despair and ingratitude, which corrode ethics and society:
  • “Our tendency to despair, our tendency to forget the miraculous… is the demon within us called ingratitude, which is the destroyer of things.”
• The core Jewish lesson: Life as a form of thanksgiving. Without gratitude, Jewish ritual loses all meaning.
  • “All life, and certainly all life worth living, is a kind of thanksgiving. All Jewish ritual is founded on that principle.”

6. Publicizing the Miracle in Times of Danger

• The Talmudic commandment to publicize the Hanukkah miracle through candle lighting is discussed, alongside the caveat: in times of danger, the miracle can be hidden.
  • “The mitzvah of publicizing the miracle can become hidden in times of danger, meaning danger for acknowledging or telling the public space that you are a Jew.”
• The shifting of Jewish ritual from public to private sphere under external threat is a central Hanukkah theme, echoing current events.

7. The Transformation of Hanukkah: From History to Ritual, from Past to Promise

• Hanukkah’s evolution: from a memory of military triumph and homecoming, to a promise of light that survives even when redemption seems impossible.
• Focus moves from the actual victory to the act of increasing light, hope, and faith.
• Gur draws on the famous Talmudic debate between the houses of Hillel and Shammai—should Hanukkah lights increase each night (Hillel) or decrease (Shammai)? Jews follow Hillel: the light only grows.
  • “Hillel won because of a sense that the light always increases, the light always grows.”

8. Lessons for Today: Work, Gratitude, Hope

• The dual charge of Hanukkah:
  • Work for the miracle—miracles are a function of hard work and sacrifice.
  • Do not take the good for granted—practice radical gratitude, even in darkness.
  • “Work hard for the miracle because it’s a function of hard work, and fight actively against your tendency to take the good for granted.”

9. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Human Agency and God (54:00):
  • “God acted that day, but he acted by stealing the hearts of the men and women who fought and maneuvered and planned and died and sacrificed to stop the Syrian advance.”
• On Cultural Differences (36:00):
  • “Those differences, those gaps, that are ultimately translated into gaps in military capability and prowess and competence, those gaps are choices.”
• On Hanukkah’s Essence (1:09:30):
  • “Hanukkah becomes not a lived memory, but a ritual memory. The military triumph becomes the less important piece … The heart of the story becomes that there will be a salvation, not there was one.”
• On Light and Gratitude (1:13:40):
  • “May our light on this sad day, may our light grow each and every day. May our gratitude increase in kind because we can see all the light that surrounds us. And may our days be safe and unafraid.”

Timestamps for Key Segments

• The Sydney Massacre & Global Jewish Insecurity – 00:04 – 04:45
• Hanukkah in Jewish History & Its Themes – 10:00 – 19:40
• The Meaning of Miracles and Jewish Philosophy – 42:00 – 53:00
• Lessons from Modern Israel and Jewish Agency – 53:30 – 57:30
• On Gratitude, Despair, and Thanksgiving – 59:00 – 1:05:00
• Publicizing the Miracle & Jewish Ritual in Danger – 1:06:15 – 1:11:00
• From Memory to Hope: Hanukkah’s Ritual Evolution – 1:11:45 – 1:14:00
• Final Reflections & Blessing – 1:14:30 – End

Final Thoughts

Through personal stories, deep dives into Jewish text, and reflection on recent tragedy, Haviv Rettig Gur frames Hanukkah not just as an old story of triumph or a holiday of miracles, but as an enduring call to agency, gratitude, and unity in the face of darkness. The episode offers comfort, challenge, and a rallying cry:
May our light grow each day, and may our gratitude keep pace.