Judaism teaches us to start each day by saying:
מוֹדֶה אֲנִי לְפָנֶֽיךָ מֶֽלֶךְ חַי וְקַיָּם שֶׁהֶחֱזַֽרְתָּ בִּי נִשְׁמָתִי בְּחֶמְלָה, רַבָּה אֱמוּנָתֶֽךָ
Modeh ani l’fanecha, melech chai v’kayam, shehechezarta bi nishmati b’chemla, raba emunatecha.
I give thanks to You, living and everlasting G-d, for You have restored my soul with mercy. Great is Your faithfulness.
But, G-d, when it has come to being thankful recently, I must admit that I’ve struggled.
Certainly, I’m grateful for what I do have, including family and friends, health, shelter, nourishment – both physical and spiritual.
But it seems like the world keeps shattering. The hate keeps growing. The madness, it is overwhelming. In this environment, starting my day with words of thanks often feels disingenuous.
I feel angry, hurt, sad, lost, vulnerable, anxious misunderstood, despised…
My heart aches for the hostages, their families, and the families of our IDF soldiers who have fallen. I worry about the IDF soldiers on the frontlines. I think often of their families and all Israelis living through this war.
I’m outraged by the antisemitism that constantly undermines the lives of our college and university students, antisemitism that plagues our cities and social media feeds.
I worry about the wellbeing of our divided nation as we prepare for a transition of power.
Because of all of this, G-d, I struggle to give thanks.
But, within me is a spark of You.
I know this not just because I’m told we all contain a spark of the Divine. I know this because, while it’s so hard to feel grateful in the midst of all this darkness, I still somehow find myself compelled to embrace gratitude. This is because of Your spark.
On this Thanksgiving Day, I thank you G-d for this spark. Yes, it helps me focus on the blessings in my life, family and friends, health, shelter, and nourishment. But, even more so, this spark fuels my Jewish voice, my moral compass, my determination to stand up to the madness.
Modeh ani l’fanecha, thank you G-d for empowering me and so many other bright souls who are also gifted with Your sparks. Thank you for giving us a community of loud and proud activists, determined to turn this upside world right side up. Together, we will bring light into the darkness and, in turn, give our thanks to You, our Source of Light, Creator of Gratitude.
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