[Although it's not always going to be my intention to fit the post into the parsha, I can't really help it this week because it fits so well and it's my bar mitzvah parsha.]
After Leah gives birth to her 4th son she decides to name him Yehuda from the root "hoda'ah-thanks". Rashi points out that she was giving thanks to Hashem since the 4th son was more than her fair-share of children and she therefore felt the need to thank Hashem. With the "festival" of Thanksgiving just behind us it's hard to not focus on this aspect of our Avodas Hashem.
Some may have a custom to go around the table at Thanksgiving and have everyone say what he/she is thankful for. But if you think about it, we have this opportunity 3 times a day when we daven. Every Modim is supposed to be an intense realization of that which we have been given beyond our fair-share.
Not only that, but every bracha we make is a recognition of the fact that Hashem has given us something that we don't deserve. Rav Neuburger pointed out in shiur when we learned Meseches Brachos that there is a logical reason to say that we don't need to make brachos on food. Hashem created us with the need to eat so it is His responsibility to provide us with sustenance. It's only fair. However, that is the wrong focus for us to have. We must realize that He doesn't need to provide for us and it is a tremendous gift from Him that we have everything that He gives us both in terms of sustenance and all other possessions.
The Michtav Me'Eliyahu points out that in order to come to love someone, one must give to that other person. So how does one come to loving Hashem the way we are supposed to? There is seemingly nothing that He is lacking that we can give Him. The Michtav Me'Eliyahu answers that we can give Him thanks, and through that giving we can come to love Hashem. Hopefully we can use this yearly reminder of Thanksgiving to truly appreciate that which Hashem does for us, thank Him properly through Modim and brachos, and grow to great heights in our Ahavas Hashem.
After Leah gives birth to her 4th son she decides to name him Yehuda from the root "hoda'ah-thanks". Rashi points out that she was giving thanks to Hashem since the 4th son was more than her fair-share of children and she therefore felt the need to thank Hashem. With the "festival" of Thanksgiving just behind us it's hard to not focus on this aspect of our Avodas Hashem.
Some may have a custom to go around the table at Thanksgiving and have everyone say what he/she is thankful for. But if you think about it, we have this opportunity 3 times a day when we daven. Every Modim is supposed to be an intense realization of that which we have been given beyond our fair-share.
Not only that, but every bracha we make is a recognition of the fact that Hashem has given us something that we don't deserve. Rav Neuburger pointed out in shiur when we learned Meseches Brachos that there is a logical reason to say that we don't need to make brachos on food. Hashem created us with the need to eat so it is His responsibility to provide us with sustenance. It's only fair. However, that is the wrong focus for us to have. We must realize that He doesn't need to provide for us and it is a tremendous gift from Him that we have everything that He gives us both in terms of sustenance and all other possessions.
The Michtav Me'Eliyahu points out that in order to come to love someone, one must give to that other person. So how does one come to loving Hashem the way we are supposed to? There is seemingly nothing that He is lacking that we can give Him. The Michtav Me'Eliyahu answers that we can give Him thanks, and through that giving we can come to love Hashem. Hopefully we can use this yearly reminder of Thanksgiving to truly appreciate that which Hashem does for us, thank Him properly through Modim and brachos, and grow to great heights in our Ahavas Hashem.
