It's Thanksgiving. A time when many feel an extra need to say thank you.
We need to thank G-d for the good in our life. Even if Gd forbid life is not that great, at the moment, we should be able to find some good to be thankful for!
There are two levels of appreciation. One is to be thankful for what we deserve; I have a job and am thankful that my employer pays me. Between you and me, I deserve it; I worked and got paid. The second, higher level of appreciation is the gratitude we feel when we get an underserved or an unexpected bonus.
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We should recognize that what we deserve is also a bonus. Being alive and healthy enough to be able to work to earn a paycheck (which we deserve), should not be taken for granted. That is a higher level of thanks and appreciation.
Gal Gadot, AKA Wonder Woman, told Vanity Fair: “I am lucky. I say thank you every morning. In the Jewish culture there’s a prayer that you’re supposed to say every time you wake up in the morning to thank G-d for, you know, keeping you alive and dadadada.
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“You say ‘modeh ani,’ which means ‘I give thanks,’ ” she says. “So every morning I wake up and step out of bed and I say, ‘Thank you for everything, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.’ ” She closes her eyes a moment, as if saying the prayer all over again. “Nothing is to be taken for granted.”
The title Jew comes from the name Judah. Judah was thus named because his mother, Leah, felt the need to give thanks. Knowing Jacob would have 12 children and 4 wives, when Leah had her fourth son, she said “This time, I will thank, since I have taken more than my share.
Consequently, I must offer up thanks." Each child was a blessing for which she was grateful. However, when she got a bonus, "more than her share", she was extra thankful.
This thanksgiving, let’s commit to being more thankful daily.
The secret of thanks is to express it daily!
Click here and print this card. Keep it by your bedside. Every day, upon waking up, say the words on the card. Be thankful! I cannot take this new day for granted. It's an extra day that I didn't deserve. Thank you G-d, I will make today count.
Have an amazing Shabbos holiday weekend and stay safe.
Rabbi Kushi
