In a gathering of students, one of them asked the Lubavitcher Rebbe about miracles that the Rebbe had supposedly performed. Do miracles really happen? the student wanted to know.
The Rebbe responded that yes, they do, and told the students that each one of them could perform miracles, and it would not be all that difficult.
“Just think about a natural tendency, regular behavior, or bad habit that you would like to change. When you make this change, when you overcome your nature, you will have performed a miracle.”
Miracles are all about defying the natural order of things, which includes the natural order of our own lives. In our daily experience, we become accustomed to our own shortcomings, recognize our deficiencies, but are reluctant to change.
Our sages taught that the loudest sound in the universe is heard when a person overcomes a natural tendency or erases a character defect. When a naturally stingy person becomes generous, when a naturally jealous person is gratified by another’s gain, or when a coward becomes courageous, a miracle has taken place and the quiet complacency of the natural order of things is shattered with a big bang.