Rabbi's Week in Review Blog

I have in recent weeks spoken a lot about our conflicting emotions in response to the ongoing conflict and violence in Israel and Gaza. This week we have our annual Thanksgiving celebration. Regardless of the holiday’s historic origins, we do recognize Thanksgiving as a time when we have the opportunity to plug into a sense of gratitude.

People who know me also know that my favorite form of prayer is the prayer of gratitude. There is something that resonates for me in replying to any kind gesture with a simple thank-you. A midrash in Vayikra Rabbah (which I cited at my ordination) addresses the idea that in olam ha-bah, in the World to Come, when all other prayers will be unnecessary, we will still be required to recite prayers of gratitude.

Clearing through all of our other emotions — those of anguish or anger or despair — we can still afford ourselves the opportunity to consider the people and events in our lives for which there is never a wrong time to recite prayers of gratitude and thanks. May we all be in places in our lives on this Thanksgiving, or in Thanksgivings to come, where prayers of gratitude will be amongst our foremost thoughts.