GRATITUDE
The Hebrew word for the tribe of Judah, “Yehudi”, means “thanksgiving.” Jews are a people of thanksgiving. Gratitude is our name and it is the core of who we are. Indeed, the ‘Modeh Ani,’ uttered before we even swing (or lug) our feet over the edge of the bed, orients our days toward gratitude.
Modeh ani l’fanecha, melech chai v’kayam, shehechezarta bi nishmati, b’chemla raba emunatecha.
I thank You, living and enduring King, for You have graciously returned my soul within me. Great is Your faithfulness.
Thanksgiving may come naturally when we wake to a day of peaceful relationships, a body that is well, a vocation we find satisfying, but what about on the days we wake up to the weight of grief, to hope deferred, to sickness and pain? It is in these times that thanksgiving becomes not just important, but vital. Consider King David’s gratitude in the midst of suffering:
PSALM 100
Shout for joy to Adonai, all the earth!
Serve Adonai with gladness.
Enter his presence with joyful songs.
Be aware that Adonai is God;
it is he who made us; and we are his,
his people, the flock in his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
enter his courtyards with praise;
give thanks to him, and bless his name.
For Adonai is good, his grace continues forever,
and his faithfulness lasts through all generations.
In this psalm, King David manifests a spirit of thanksgiving which transcends circumstance. It is a thanksgiving first and foremost for Adonai himself. He is God. He has made us. We are his. When we start here, with our good God, then we can settle into our lives. He has opened up the gates of another day, and we are to enter these gates with thanksgiving. A whole day. A day with colors and sounds and work and pain and joy and grief. A day with many gifts to discover, if we can open our eyes. A day in the presence of Adonai.
