Jewish Values of Gratitude, Renewing Ourselves, and Acting with Intention
Created by Rabbi Shari Shamah, Jewish Life Specialist
Gratitude
Value: Hakarat HaTov – Gratitude הכרת התוב
אֵיזֶהוּ עָשִׁיר, הַשָּׂמֵחַ בְּחֶלְקוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהלים קכח) יְגִיעַ כַּפֶּיךָ כִּי תֹאכֵל אַשְׁרֶיךָ וְטוֹב לָךְ. אַשְׁרֶיךָ, בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה. וְטוֹב לָךְ, לָעוֹלָם הַבָּא.
…Who is rich? One who rejoices in their lot, as it is said: “You shall enjoy the fruit of your labors, you shall be happy and you shall prosper” (Psalms 128:2) “You shall be happy” in this world, “and you shall prosper” in the world to come. (Pirkei Avot 4:1)
מִזְמ֥וֹר שִׁ֗יר לְי֣וֹם הַשַּׁבָּֽת׃
A psalm. A song; for the sabbath day.
ט֗וֹב לְהֹד֥וֹת לַיהֹוָ֑ה וּלְזַמֵּ֖ר לְשִׁמְךָ֣ עֶלְיֽוֹן׃
It is good to praise God,
to sing hymns to Your name, O Most High. (Psalm 92:1)
Mishneh Torah, Blessings 1:4
(4) All blessings accordingly fall into three kinds; blessings recited when partaking of material enjoyments, blessings recited when fulfilling religious duties, and blessings of thanksgiving, which have the character of praise, thanksgiving and supplication, and the purpose of which is that we should always have the Creator in mind and revere God.
- Would you say you do a good job of expressing gratitude in your life?
- How do you express gratitude?
Renewing Oneself
Value: Hitchadshut – Renewing oneself התחדשות
Modeh Ani L’fanecha…
I am grateful before You, living and eternal King, for returning my soul to me with compassion. You are faithful beyond measure. (Morning liturgy)
“Most translations render Modeh Ani as some version of “I thank you.” And rightly so. There’s a concept in Jewish mysticism that sleep is 1/60 of death. We are by no means guaranteed to wake up in the morning, so when we do, it’s only proper that we take a moment to express gratitude for another day, for another opportunity to live our lives. It’s both ironic and unfortunate that so many of us groan in annoyance that we must get up, without recognizing the incredible blessing that we are able to. “(My Jewish Learning, Sarah Esther Crispe https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/modeh-ani-its-not-just-about-gratitude/)
“Human beings differ from angels in their ability to change, to grow and improve. Angels cannot change; they remain the same from the moment they come into existence until they expire. For this reason, the prophets generally describe angels as “Omedim,” “standing.” Angels stand in only one place, unable to advance or progress forward. Human beings, by contrast, are often referred to as “Holechim,” “walking,” referring to their capacity to progress, to move forward, to grow, to work on their characters and become better. If a person remains stagnant and complacent, if they have no interest in improving themselves and advancing to the next level in religious observance and character refinement, then they have negated their most basic human quality.”(DailyHalacha/Nitzavim/Vayeilech,https://www.dailyhalacha.com/WeeklyParasha.asp?PageIndex=64&ParashaClipID=117)
“When I was a young man, I wanted to change the world. I found it was difficult to change the world, so I tried to change my nation. When I found I couldn’t change the nation, I began to focus on my town. I couldn’t change the town and as an older man, I tried to change my family. Now, as an old man, I realize the only thing I can change is myself, and suddenly I realize that if long ago I had changed myself, I could have made an impact on my family. My family and I could have made an impact on our town. Their impact could have changed the nation, and I could indeed have changed the world.” (Rabbi Yisrael Salanter https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/11462?lang=bi
- How can you renew yourself every day?
- What rituals do you do in your own life to focus on the idea that you can change yourself, your world, your impact?
Intention
Value: Kavanah – Intention כונה
In Rabbinic literature, כונה refers to intention; attention; devotion, purpose, concentration.
One of the most demonstrative texts of intention and being fully focused in your heart comes from The Tanakh – Hannah’s Prayer (1 Samuel 1:13)
On Hannah’s intention The Talmud teaches:
Rav Hamnuna said: How many significant halakhot can be derived from these verses of the prayer of Hannah? As it says: “And Hannah spoke in her heart, only her lips moved and her voice could not be heard, so Eli thought her to be drunk” (I Samuel 1:13). The Gemara elaborates: From that which is stated here: “And Hannah spoke in her heart,” the halakha that one who prays must focus their heart on prayer is derived. And from that which is stated here: “Only her lips moved,” the halakha that one who prays must enunciate the words with their lips, not only contemplate them in their heart, is derived. From that which is written here: “And her voice could not be heard,” the halakha that one is forbidden to raise their voice in the Amida prayer as it must be recited silently. From the continuation of the verse here: “So Eli thought her to be drunk,” the halakha that a drunk person is forbidden to pray. That is why Eli rebuked her. (Berachot 31a:27)
One of the great Jewish Philosophers, Bachya Ibn Pakuda (11th Century, Spain), wrote about the concept of intention within Judaism. His work, Duties of the Heart, ascribes 10 Gates to spirituality.
But for the duties of the heart, there can be no hypocrisy, nor expectation of honor, respect, or praise on account of fulfilling them since other people cannot look into one’s heart. Therefore one’s intent in fulfilling them is automatically only to the Watcher, namely, the blessed Creator alone… (Bahya Ibn Paquda Fifth treatise: Devotion 3:2)
The 10 Gates are:
- The Gate of Divine Unity
2. The Gate of Reflection
3. The Gate of Serving God
4. The Gate of Trust in God
5. The Gate of Unification of Action
6. The Gate of Humility
7. The Gate of Repentance
8. The Gate of Self-Examination
9. The Gate of Seclusion
10. The Gate of the Love of God
- Do you agree with the notion that intention over action is what’s important?
- Is it easy for you to pray without distraction?
- What are the distractions that you face in your life that pull you away from what’s in your heart?
