Thanksgiving: Four Uniquely Jewish Ways to Say Thank You
As we gather with our families and friends for Thanksgiving and focus on all that we are grateful for, Judaism invites us to offer four uniquely Jewish thank-yous that go far deeper than the polite “thank yous” that we may utter on this day:
1. Thank You for What We Already Have
Judaism teaches us to give thanks for the blessings we have already received, not only for those we will receive. Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev once saw a student racing through town “to make a living.” So the Rabbi asked him: “How do you know your livelihood is ahead of you? Perhaps it is behind you, and with every step forward, you are running further away from it…”
An old tale tells the story of two young fish who were once swimming along in the ocean. One morning, they met an older fish who nodded at them and said, “Morning, young fish, how’s the water today?” The two young fish nod back, and after a while, one asks the other, “What’s water?”
Indeed, we often race toward imaginary blessings while overlooking the ones we are constantly swimming in. Like the air we breathe, the love of our family, the treasures within us, and all of the quiet miracles that sustain us. In the words of Torah: “Rejoice in all the good that G-d your Lord has given you” (Deuteronomy 26:11).
2. Thank You Is Something We Do
In Judaism, gratitude is a deed, not just a word.
For example, in the times of the Jerusalem Temple, gratitude came in the form of a “thanksgiving offering” – an offering that included forty loaves of bread that had to be eaten in one day (see Leviticus 7:12-15). Many would gather to feast on this offering, thus turning an individual’s personal emotion of gratitude into a public deed of kindness and unity.
Similarly, King David speaks of gratitude as a sentiment that must be translated into a deed of repayment. In his saintly words: “What shall I repay Hashem for all His kindness to me? I will lift the cup of salvation and call upon the name of G-d…” (Psalms 116:12-13).
3. Thank You, All The Time
Judaism does not reserve gratitude for rare occasions. It builds it into the very architecture of our day. The Sages teach that one should recite one hundred blessings daily, to ensure that gratitude becomes the heartbeat of our daily lives.
This is also why our mornings begin with Modeh Ani: “I thank You… for restoring my soul.” Before anything else, we acknowledge the miracle of waking up. And at day’s end, in the Bedtime Shema, we once again express trust and appreciation, returning our spirit to G-d with gratitude.
Indeed, gratitude in Judaism is not episodic. It is continuous. It is who we are.
4. Thank You Even When It Hurts
Perhaps, Judaism’s most radical expression of gratitude is the requirement to bless G-d not only for the good, but also… for the bad. The Talmud teaches us that “just as one must bless G-d for the good, so too must one bless Him for the bad” (Talmud, Berachot 54a). We do so not because we deny our suffering, but because we believe that there is a glimmer of light even in the depth of darkness, and a trace of blessing even within the most painful curse.
Of course, some challenges are far beyond the reach of our limited understanding. But even then, we hold fast to the faith so courageously expressed by Nachum Ish Gamzu, that “gam zu l’tovah, this too is for the good!” (see Talmud, Ta’anit 21a).
As we celebrate Thanksgiving, let us whisper Modeh Ani as soon as we awake in the morning. And let us embrace gratitude not as a reaction but as a mission: to do thank you, to see thank you, to live thank you, and to express thank you, in every moment, and at every place.
Happy Thanksgiving!