A Month of Gratitude

I recently read an excellent article by Joshua Becker entitled “A Month of Gratitude.” He writes that gratitude is a potent practice that can uplift our spirits. 

He notes that it's been a rough year for everyone. The tribulations of the last year include a pandemic, social isolation, economic slowdown, and civil unrest. Whether or not you have been personally affected by any of these factors, you almost certainly know someone who has. 

The author recommends that we make a commitment for a full month to get started and cites several helpful practices to make gratitude a vital and dynamic part of our lives. These suggestions include starting a 30-day gratitude journal, writing one gratitude email each day for a month, committing to increased thankfulness during prayer or meditation this month, and starting a new monthly gratitude tradition with your family. 

Mr. Becker is spot on with his observations and recommendations!  

There are fundamental spiritual factors that make gratitude a master key to wellbeing and success. Gratitude leads to emuna and humility which are vessels needed to receive blessings from our compassionate Father in Heaven. When we thank Hashem for the goodness that we might otherwise take for granted, it demonstrates that we really appreciate all He does for us.  

According to the Baal HaTanya, when we thank Hashem we ascend in holiness. In Psalm 100 it says to “enter His gates with thankfulness and His courtyards with praise.” In Garden of Gratitude, Rabbi Shalom Arush says this indicates that the way to come close to Hashem is through gratitude and praise. 

We start out our morning services with Bircas Hashachar, the morning blessings. The Lubavitch Rebbe says that when we recite these, we should realize we have so many reasons to be happy. 

In a daily Living Emuna email from Rabbi David Ashear he teaches that a person in need can receive help in one of three ways – A) Through an open miracle, B) Through an unusual string of events that clearly points to the fact that Hashem was behind it, or C) In a regular, natural way. For example, a man wakes up on a Friday morning and still does not have enough money to buy food for Shabbat for his large family. His wallet was empty the night before when he went to sleep, and there was not another penny to be found in his house.  

He could either A) Open his wallet that morning and find $1000 cash, clearly an open miracle. B) Someone could knock on his door and say, “A wealthy man decided to give out money to random families in the neighborhood and yours was chosen.” He opens the envelope and sees $1000 cash and says “perfect, just at the right time.” Or C) He could have a job that pays him $1000/week, and the paychecks come out on Friday morning.  

In scenario A, that man would for sure tell everyone he knows about the open miracle that he experienced. He would thank Hashem to no end for putting that money in his wallet. In scenario B, if the man is in tune with any type of emuna, he’ll also tell everyone about the hidden, natural miracle that Hashem did for him, and he’ll also praise Hashem for sending him the money through His agent. This is the type of story that we constantly love to speak about. However, in scenario C, only someone on a higher level of emuna will say when he receives his paycheck, “Thank you Hashem for being so kind and giving me this money when I needed it. You saved me the stress of worrying where my money would be coming from. You orchestrated the events to get me a job with a salary that pays my bills. You’re so kind.”  

Rabbi Ashear says that would not be a story that would make any book or periodical, but that is seeing Hashem through the very natural way of the world, and that is the greatest level. 

Joshua Becker concludes his article on gratitude by stating: “One important key to remember is that the benefits of gratitude are most experienced when we intentionally choose to practice it regardless of our circumstances, rather than waiting for more positive circumstances. No matter what trial you may be facing, there is always something to be thankful for. And the sooner we get started recognizing those good things, the sooner we'll discover even more.” 

How true! Rebbe Nachman says that the more you thank Hashem, the more He'll give you for which to be thankful. Let's make gratitude a daily priority and foundation of our service to Hashem. It’s an indisputable fact! Gratitude is the key to a strong relationship with the Creator and attaining a happy and successful life. 

I hope you’ll start your Month of Gratitude today – and continue it for the rest of your life!