I saw a beautiful vort (insight) from Rabbi Biderman. Rabbi Biderman says a vort like this. We know that when you spin the dreidel, it says Nes Gadol Haya Sham, Nun Gimel Hei Shin (N, G, H, Sh), Nes Gadol Haya Sham. Those letters are Nun Gimel Hei Shin. When you spin the dreidel, do you see the letters? No. When the dreidel goes, you're not able to see the letters. When the dreidel stops and lands, then you're able to see Nes Gadol Haya Sham. You see the letters, you say Nes Gadol Haya Sham: Hashem created, Hashem performed a huge miracle in the times of Chanukah.
Rabbi Biderman says the lesson from the dreidel for our lives is that Hashem gives us so much. There is so much to thank Hashem about. But when you're always running around, when you're always going day in, day out, your regular daily routine—going to work, going to school and learning, taking kids to school—you keep on running and running and running, keep on twisting and twisting and twisting like the dreidel. You don't realize how much Hashem is involved in your day—Nes Gadol Haya Sham—and how Hashem is performing miracles. Hashem is in charge of everything and every minute of your life during the day that you're flying through.
When Shabbat comes and you settle down, Shabbat comes and you can't touch your phone, you can't drive, you can't cook, you can't work. Shabbat comes, and you settle down. Then you recognize Hashem's hand, how He was with you the whole week. You recognize how Nes Gadol Haya Sham the whole week, not just on Shabbat.
So the lesson from the dreidel is that, just as when the dreidel spins, you can't see the letters that say Hashem is with you all the time, only when it lands can you see Nes Gadol Haya Sham. So too, the lesson is that when we're running around all week, we have to understand that Hashem is always there. Hashem's hand is everywhere the whole week with Hashgachah Pratit (Divine providence). We just have to settle down to recognize how Hashem was watching over us the whole time, and Hashem planned everything, and every Hashgachah Pratit is with us. Nes Gadol Haya Sham. Thank you so much for listening.