Prayer & Thanksgiving
According to The Wall Street Journal, recent polling data shows a "Surprising surge of faith among young people."
Research has repeatedly shown that people of faith report feeling better and healthier.
Data illustrate the public-health benefits of faith. Women who attend religious services at least once a week are 68% less likely to die from “deaths of despair,” including suicide, drug overdose and alcohol poisoning. Men are 33% less likely, according to 2020 research led by Harvard University's School of Public Health.
It's no wonder the 12-step program, one of the most successful strategies for breaking drug and alcohol addiction, centers its methodology on belief in a higher power.
Faith is not only a powerful tool to overcome challenges we may face, it most importantly puts us in touch with our essence and identity.
The Talmud teaches that “all Jews are believers the children of believers”. While this is true at all times, it takes effort and consistent work to appreciate it and benefit from it on a daily basis.
One of the most effective ways to strengthen our faith is through prayer and expressing gratitude. Gratitude is a basic human requirement which enables us to have meaningful relationships, a sense of connection, community and validation.
President George Washington proclaimed the first nationwide thanksgiving celebration in America marking November 26, 1789, "as a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favours of Almighty G-d".
We are grateful to live in a country which was founded on the belief in G-d and cherishes the values of religious liberty. The founding fathers of this great country understood that to truly be happy, we must be thankful and grateful to G-d and remain connected to our roots.
Showing appreciation consists of more than just paying lip service and fulfilling our social duties, it is an acknowledgement of the true source of the wonderful gifts we have received. Expressing gratitude and appreciation goes to the heart of who we are as Jews.
One of the major thrusts in Judaism is Hakarat Hatov, showing and expressing appreciation to G-d for all the blessings He continuously bestows upon us. The importance of showing Hakarot Hatov also applies to our relationship with our parents, spouse, children, co-workers, employees and clients etc. Expressing gratitude is essential to interpersonal relationships, especially to those who are closest to us.
The definition of the word Jew in English, or Yehudi in Hebrew, is derived from the
word “Hodaah”, which means to thank or to acknowledge G-d. The Talmud explains, “anyone who rejects idolatry is called a Yehudi (i.e. One who acknowledges G-d's existence and submits to His authority)”.
The original name Yehuda was in fact given to Jacob & Leah's fourth son mentioned in this week's Torah portion. As the verse states, “She conceived again and bore a son, and declared, 'This time I will praise the LORD.' Therefore she named him Judah. Then she stopped bearing.” (Genesis, 29:35)
Leah chose the name Yehuda as an expression of gratitude and praise to G-d for blessing her with more than her share of children relative to the other wives of Jacob.
In the very beginning of this week's Torah portion we learn about the journey of our forefather Jacob when he was forced to flee his hometown in Israel and travel to Charan to escape his brother Esau's wrath.
On his way, he passed by the Temple Mount in Jerusalem and decided to pray and stay over for the night at this holy place.
Up until this point, Jacob had lived an insular life, steeped in Torah study. His journey to Charan was his first foray into the "real" world, whose ways and manners were foreign to him. Yet instead of making learning the language and customs of his new land a priority, Jacob's first item on his agenda was to pray. Ultimately, Jacob was extremely prosperous in his new environment and merited to raise an exemplary Jewish family while enjoying an abundance of material wealth as well.
Similarly, before setting about our daily affairs, we should begin each morning with a prayer, followed by Torah study. Once we have reconnected to G-d through prayer, Torah study and expressing gratitude, we are equipped to fulfill our spiritual mission in the material world. Through our efforts, G-d will bless us with both material and spiritual wealth.
Jews pray to G‑d, thanking Him, praising Him, and beseeching Him for personal requests. Preferably it is conducted in a synagogue, a place dedicated to G-d without distractions. However, it also can take place in a private home or office etc. Prayer is a time to step back and reflect.
On a very basic level, prayer expresses our belief in G‑d. Our recognition that we are dependent on His beneficence, and that, as the one who controls all, it is within His ability to extricate us from our hardship. And as such, in a time of need—no matter how trivial the need may seem—we turn to the one whom we know can help. Prayer is about a child approaching his loving parent.
It's a way we attend to our own inner experience, let go of distracting thoughts and focus on more positive thoughts. By expressing gratitude, we shift attention from the way that things are going wrong to the ways they are going right.
The word for prayer in Hebrew is Tefilah (תְּפִלָּה), literally meaning to “connect”. Kabbalah expounds upon the idea of prayer as more than just a vehicle for presenting our needs before G‑d. It is actually our primary means of connecting our consciousness to the divine, an island in time when our souls are unleashed, free to soar to heavenly heights. Such prayer leaves an indelible refining impact on the entire day.
Originally, our ancestors prayed from the heart using their own words to articulate their deepest yearnings, desires and gratitude to G-d. But as the generations progressed, the art of spontaneous prayer was lost on the majority of people. Therefore, about two and half thousand years ago, Ezra the Scribe and the Rabbis of the Great Assembly, through divine inspiration, composed and established set prayers in Hebrew which is applicable to all Jews.
However, before we ask for our own personal needs, we begin the daily prayers by first expressing gratitude to G-d for all the wonderful gifts He has given us. These include the ability to breathe, see, walk, and care for our family. By expressing gratitude, we open our hearts and minds to truly appreciate our blessings and utilize our talents and capabilities for positive growth.
Ideally, it is preferable to pray in Hebrew due to the sanctity of the language and the nuanced meaning which can be expressed more accurately through the holy words. At the same time, G-d understands all languages and grants our requests made in any form we are comfortable with.
The Talmud declares that “the gates of tears in heaven are never closed”. Words that are uttered from the heart with sincerity are always accepted on high.
It was especially moving to watch the return of some of our hostages this morning, including young children and older women and we are extremely grateful to G-d for their miraculous return. We believe that no prayer goes unanswered, and we must continue to pray for the safe return of all of our hostages and for the safety of our brethren in Israel and around the world.
While there are many personal needs that we may pray for, there is one universal request that we ask for dozens of times throughout our daily prayers which include all of our needs both personally and universally. That is the prayer for the coming of Moshiach (Redemption).
The era of Redemption will usher in a time of peace and prosperity for all nations on earth and enable us to fulfill the purpose of creation and our raison d'etre.
