Thankgiving
In Hebrew, the term for being thankful is hakarat hatov, recognizing the good that is done for us. We primarily do this through the recitation of blessings which are so ubiquitous in an observant life. These are really about recognizing that we construct very little of our own lives. Much of who we are — our successes, our accomplishments, the things we are thankful for that keep us secure and satisfied, the opportunities we have — almost all of it is due to the situation we are born into, the heritage we have been blessed with, the kindness of others and the creation by God of a world in which such things are possible.
In Judaism there are three categories of blessings and all of them serve this purpose, albeit in slightly different ways:
Blessings before taking pleasure from the world through eating or smelling something pleasant. Before we take pleasure from the world we take the time to realize, for instance, that the fruit grows from a tree or the food comes as a result of God's word and creation. Therefore, the food I take for granted is truly miraculous. That there is anything at all, never mind good things to eat, is shocking and not of my doing.
Blessings before performing a mitzvah, through which we recognize the good of having the tools with which to sanctify our lives by reciting: ”You have sanctified us with your commandments, and commanded us…”
Blessings of praise: Any moment in life which is inspiring can be an arrow toward the Divine and through it we can find God in our worldly experience. A rainbow, a shooting star, a beautiful person or tree — even going to the bathroom — is a moment in Jewish life to stand back and to marvel at the infinitely complex body which we take for granted and to recognize that we do not make ourselves; there is a greater Divine harmony we are graced by.
So as my parents always said, in Judaism every day is Thanksgiving — and I would add that every moment is. Blessings are all opportunities and tools to facilitate our hakarat hatov, our recognition of the amazing world we live in that was created for us. Rabbi Hillel even composed a blessing when he was on the Temple Mount and saw throngs of people. The blessing was to recognize the incredible Divine miracle that though there are so many people they all are unique. According to one opinion in the Talmud, the blessing was also to be thankful that we can be a society all together. As the Talmud puts it:
“The Sages taught: One who sees multitudes of people recites: Blessed is God the Knower of secrets… Ben Zoma once saw a multitude while standing on a stair on the Temple Mount. He immediately recited: Blessed is the Knower of secrets and Blessed is God Who created all these (people) to serve me. Explaining his custom, he would say: How much effort did the first person exert before he found bread to eat: He plowed, sowed, reaped, sheaved, threshed, winnowed in the wind, separated the grain from the chaff, ground the grain into flour, sifted, kneaded, and baked and only thereafter he ate. And I, on the other hand, wake up and find all of these prepared for me… (Berachot 58a and Midrash Bamidbar 21).”
Happy Thanksgiving and don’t forget to make a bracha!
