The siddur (Jewish prayerbook) is full of reminders to be thankful. In the morning, we get up and we sing “Modeh ani lefanecha…”, “I offer thanks to You, living and eternal King, for You have mercifully restored my soul within me; Your faithfulness is great.” The very first words from our mouths are to be words of gratitude.
We then proceed to recite a whole litany of praises and thanksgiving to Hashem for the many good things He as done for us. “Blessed are You, Lord Our God, for… giving the rooster to know between day and night, opens the eyes of the blind, releases the bound, straightens the bowed, clothes the naked, …”
The central prayer of Judaism, prayed three times a day, is the Amidah, which literally means “standing”. We are standing before the King of the Universe offering our prayers and petitions to Him. In the midst of the Amidah, we thank God for many things. One of the prayers thanks Him for the miracles that are with us daily. A heart of gratitude allows us to see that His providence and love surrounds us constantly.
In the days of the Temple, there were thanksgiving offerings that had nothing to do with sin or guilt. They were simply opportunities for people to come to the Temple and thank God for His goodness.
May we all develop eyes of gratitude; it is a salve to the soul!
“That which man acquires by contemplation he should spend in love.”
--Meister Eckhart
“Look how foolish humans are! The path to Heaven is open and no one enters,
And yet the gates of Hell they rush to break down!”
--Rabbi Simcha Bunam
Gut shabbes,
Izzy
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