What Are We Thankful for at the Jewish Journal?
In honor of Thanksgiving, check out these three pieces on gratitude from the Jewish Journal:
As we enter this American day of thanks, and as we count our many blessings, let us not forget the blessing of progress, the blessing of being able to make things better, not just in the world but in our own lives.
On this one day at least, let us be grateful that there is good news hidden in the bad, if we know how to look for it.
Judaism, it seems, is obsessed with teaching gratitude and its connection to holiness and experiencing joy. One of the most famous teachings of Pirkei Avot (“Ethics of Our Fathers”) asks, “Who is rich? He who rejoices in his lot, as it is said: You shall enjoy the fruit of your labors, you shall be happy and you shall prosper” (Psalms 128:2). Even the Hebrew term for a Jew (“Yehudi”) is derived from “hodaya,” or thanking God/thankfulness.
Life is a miracle that we have no right to and that we did not earn. While we might justifiably take credit for some of the good things that have come our way throughout our lives because of wise decisions we have made or hard work we have done, our existence itself–the very existence that has made everything else in our lives possible–is in its entirety a gift given to us by others.