Daily Thanks Challenge

Rabbi Heather Miller
Nov 23, 2025
14 min read

Updated: Jul 29

Newsletter November 24, 2025 Together, we're #keepingitsacred...

In Judaism, Thanksgiving is every day. One of my (many) favorite teachings involves the rabbinic insistence that every person express thanks no fewer than 100 times per day. This seems overwhelming at first. But, then we see the rabbis' thinking. They figure that each service has, built into the prayers, an expression of thanks 33 times. And, since there are 3 services each day, that takes us to 99 expressions of thanks already built into daily practice. So why 100? Well, to get to 100, each person is therefore challenged to find that one added expression of thanks every day.

And isn't that exactly the challenge of life? To find one thing to be grateful for everyday. To look around and find awe and inspiration wherever we are, whatever we're going through? That one thing that will make a difference in our lives, to move us from a place of just "existing" to a place of living. Sacred living. A place of gratitude. A place of humility and appreciation.

What I love about this "Daily Thanks Challenge" is that if I string together all of the things I have had front of mind to offer up for gratitude over time, I can see a progression of gratitude. From my earliest years committed to this practice through today, I have noticed that my thanks have moved from more complex gratitude to more and more simple and basic expressions of thanks.

On a recent walk, for instance, I found myself marveling at the miracle of the morning dew rising from the plants in the sun light (see it HERE). It was so special to know that this phenomenon has been happening for millennia but I just noticed it in earnest a few days ago. And how grateful I am knowing (thank you AP Biology in 1994!) that this process of the sun pulling the water up out of the leaves is the process that allows the trees to pull the water from the ground.

There is always something to be awestruck by in the world. The challenge is to give ourselves the moment to catch it. Taking time to give thanks is how we're keeping it sacred.

Together, we’re #keepingitsacred…

Rabbi Heather Miller

Founder, Keeping It Sacred

GET YOUR OFFICIAL KEEPING IT SACRED MUG

Do you like coffee? Tea? Or supporting your Keeping It Sacred community?

Now's the time to visit keepingitsacred.com/our-future

Those who newly sign up to become monthly contributors, or those who increase their monthly donation (if they're already monthly donors) will receive this beautiful Keeping It Sacred official mug, no extra charge for shipping or handling. It makes a great study companion. And the back side says, "Please Unmute" reminding everyone that their voice should be heard.

Please visit keepingitsacred.com/our-future to reserve your mug, today!

This is the last week we will be running this fundraiser. Help us meet our goal?

While supplies last, only!

HANUKKAH SHABBAT

DECEMBER 19TH 5:30PM PT/8:30PM ET – Celebrate the light of Hanukkah and the peace of Shabbat together with the Keeping It Sacred community! Join Rabbi Miller and Max Winer for an uplifting hour of sacred song, Jewish learning, and community connection.

Friday, December 195:30pm PT / 8:30pm ET

Online via Zoom + In person in Los Angeles, CA

Come welcome Shabbat during this season of light, renewal, and joy. No experience needed—just bring yourself. All are truly welcome!

Keeping It Sacred programs are free for all in the spirit of keruv (accessibility). Voluntary contributions are deeply appreciated and help sustain offerings like this.

Please note the start time of 5:30pm PT, and adjust for your local time zone if joining from outside the Pacific Time region.

Invite your friends and celebrate Hanukkah and Shabbat in community.

HEALING CIRCLE & TALMUD TEXT STUDY EVERY THURSDAY

**We usually meet EVERY THURSDAY --

1/22 and 1/29 as planned but please mark your calendar that Healing Circle and Talmud for All scheduled for February 5 will be postponed.

JOIN our healing circle EVERY THURSDAY at 10:30am PT/1:30pm ET holding space for all looking for prayers for healing.

Immediately following that: at 11am PT/2pm ET, join us as we jump into a conversation with the rabbinic sages of old. We enjoy studying a page of Talmud every day and reviewing together every Thursday, adding our perspectives and the relevance to our own lives as we go along. We enjoy participation from participants across the world who span the spectrum of race, gender, class, age, and connection to Jewish thought.

*PLEASE NOTE: Daf Yomi and Healing Circle will not be held on Thanksgiving Day or New Year's Day, but it will be held on Christmas Day.

The rabbis could never have imagined such a wonderful group considering their thoughts!

What people say:

"Yesterday's class was superb!! I remain impressed by so many things that you do! You are able to keep us on track, share (some of) your knowledge with us, make all sorts of connections to the Jewish and secular worlds, and meet each of us where we are! Kudos to you!!"

"Talmud study has opened a window to that world for me. I love the anthropology and sociology of it all."

"The minority opinions may someday count as much as the majority opinions. It reminds us that things change the Halacha changes and we change each year that we read it."

"We have the opportunity to compare the Halacha we are practicing today with the one they were writing and studying in the Talmud... It has been very interesting how things have evolved how we keep the tradition in our own way."

"I feel very close to this amazing group and I'm grateful to Rabbi Miller for conducting it."

To join, please register HERE. And look for us on Instagram HERE.

ALSO we have been studying the construction of the Second Temple-- check out this awesome link to a tour through a virtual representation of the Second Temple to help visualize what we're studying HERE.

TRANS DAY OF REMEMBRANCE

This past Thursday was Trans Day of Remembrance. Our community gathered for our Rosh Chodesh Racial Justice Book Review and dedicated our learning to all of those who have been struck down for simply expressing themselves and we recommitted to working for justice for the Trans community. Friday night, we read the 58 names of those we know to have perished this past year due to gender based violence. Keeping It Sacred is a community built with people all across the gender spectrum and that is what helps to make our community the vibrant, beautiful place it is-- and we are committed to standing up for justice in for the trans community, and to taking time to remember and commemorate lives taken too soon. Please check out our amazing community friends, the Trans Justice Funding Project to support communities all around the US working for trans rights. Photo: Flags at half mast over West Hollywood in remembrance on this Transgender Day of Remembrance.

KITS CREATIVITY CLUB

NOVEMBER 30TH 9AM PT/12PM ET – Calling all creative people and people who want to create! Enjoy a chance to hang out with other Keeping It Sacred community members, get to know each other better, and create. Bring your favorite form of creativity to work on, Art, Baking, Craft, Dance, etc. and share inspiration. Some weeks will include someone teaching how to do a project/technique, other weeks will be purely socializing while we do our own things.

Please join us. Register here: keepingitsacred.com/upcoming

SPIRITUAL GENTLENESS BOOK CLUB

TODAY DECEMBER 8TH 4PM PT/7PM ET — Are you interested in holding spiritual space for healing through reading and community? Then please consider joining our KITS Spiritual Gentleness Book Club (SGBC) led by members Ashleigh and Tracy. The SGBC explore books in monthly meetings, with topics and discussions centered on the questions that arise for those who are new to Judaism. With a collaborative approach to book discussion, we envision this book club as a place to make new friends, have nuanced and meaningful discussions, and deepen our relationships with Judaism. Gatherings held on Mondays at 4pm PT/7pm ET.

TEVET ROSH CHODESH RACIAL JUSTICE BOOK CLUB

NEW BOOK! JUMP IN and JOIN US! Rosh Chodesh means “head of the month” and celebrates the new moon ushering the new Hebrew calendar month. So, at Keeping It Sacred, we are committed to beginning each month with a compassionate, principled vision of racial justice.

DECEMBER 11TH 9:30AM PT/12:30PM ET – We will be reviewing our NEW study text, In Open Contempt: Confronting White Supremacy in Art and Public Space by Irvin Weathersby Jr.

During this session we will begin with the prologue and chapter 1. Please join us!

TORAH TOGETHER:

AN EVENING OF JOY, FOOD, AND WRESTLING WITH ANGELS

TOMORROW NIGHT: DECEMBER 9TH 7:30-9PM PT — For Jews of Color and their loved ones in Culver City! Come gather with Ammud: The Jews of Color Torah Academy for a night of creative storytelling, soulful stagecraft, and delicious dinner. We'll learn, laugh, and lift each other up—celebrating the magic of JOC Torah and the truth that Torah belongs to us. Come meet new and old friends as Ammud launches programs in L.A. The memorable evening will be led by Rabbi Sass Brown, Program Director at Ammud, and rabbinical student Rebeca Carrillo, Ammud's Rabbinic Intern.

This program is open to adults who identify as Jews of Color and their loved ones who might not identify as Jews of Color.

Please RSVP below. Space is limited, so sign up today!

THE LONGEST NIGHT: CANDLELIGHT

DECEMBER 21ST 5:30-7PM PT — Continuing our long standing Keeping It Sacred tradition, this year again, join us for an evening of remembrance and reflections as we honor the lives lost to homelessness. We gather each year on December 21, the literal longest night of the year-- the winter solstice. The longest night of challenge for the houseless community. The Longest Night at St. Margaret's Episcopal Church 31641 La Novia Ave. San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675.

FIFTH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwfB0TgvSiU&source_ve_path=OTY3MTQ&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fkeepingitsacred.com%2F

NOW ON YOUTUBE: In case you missed it or if you just want to relive the celebration-- find clips from our 5th Anniversary Celebration! HERE

We are a community chok full of joy, and sacred connection on full display. at Keeping It Sacred’s 5th Anniversary Celebration — now available on our YouTube channel!

From inspiring reflections to heartfelt moments of gratitude, this milestone event captures the spirit of inclusivity, accessibility, and five years of meaningful community. SO MUCH joy and gratitude to all who made it possible!

WHAT DO PEOPLE SAY ABOUT KEEPING IT SACRED?

The best part of our community are our people. So, for our Keeping It Sacred 5 year anniversary, Rabbi Miller asked these members to share their thoughts on our community. These videos were shared at our celebration, and now you have the chance to see what people are saying in full HERE!

Or, you can click on the links below to hear from each of the participants. MAZAL TOV to everyone in the KITS global community for building this community by, with, and for one another!

Together, we're #keepingitsacred...

ADD THE KITS CALENDARS TO YOURS AND NEVER MISS AN EVENT!

Keep up with KITS programming! KITS offers events at least twice a week, make sure you’re in the know by adding the Google Calendar here or

To subscribe on iCal, copy and paste the following link into your calendar app's 'Add Calendar by URL' option: webcal://p164-caldav.icloud.com/published/2/MTAwNTkyMDg4MjcxMDA1OQR0fuSCoir8-IUKE7Pl_mtLL6wCWL8UsFQl0SOGOutaVvSGypiGpw8QpGzN3GB97CHqafkuA4hx2U97b43we1c

LET'S CONNECT ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Join us online at: keepingitsacred.com, Instagram accounts @hearabbi and @keepingitsacred, our Facebook pages HERE and HERE, YouTube Channel HERE and podcasts everywhere. Join us there for updated Talmud posts, Torah commentary, inspirations and invitations to gather online and in person.

Whether you found us through a friend, neighbor, a listserve or browsing the internet, we are glad you're here!

HELP US KEEP IT SACRED

Love the Newsletter? Help Keep It Sacred!

If you’re reading this, you’re part of the Keeping It Sacred community—no dues, no gatekeeping, just connection, learning, and inspiration.

Many of you tell us how much the newsletter means to you—like this note from a reader:“Rabbi, there are dozens, if not hundreds, of emails that flood my inbox daily. The majority are deleted without hesitation. Then there are those that are work related or personal. Then there are yours. When I read your emails, they fill a void I didn't even know was there. Thank you for sharing your wisdom.”

We’re so grateful to everyone who makes this possible through generous contributions.

If this newsletter brings you insight, comfort, or a sense of belonging, please consider making a donation today to help us keep it going strong.

Give here: keepingitsacred.com/our-future

Thank you for being part of our sacred community.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

iCal USER?

If you use iCal and would like the complete Keeping It Sacred calendar added to your calendar, click HERE. This way you won't miss an opportunity to connect via our LIVE activities.

EVERY DAY

Please enjoy TWO seasons of our 7-episode web series People Keeping It Sacred and our Jewish Holiday series called "A Bit About..." both available on YouTube HERE and via podcast on your favorite podcast player including: PocketCasts, RadioPublic, Apple + Podcasts, Spotify and more HERE.

ONGOING: SPIRITUAL COUNSELING

Rabbi Miller is available for 1-on-1 spiritual counseling; pay what you can. Topics are based upon the participant and can include your personal theological understanding of coronavirus, spiritually making space for others in your home, the spirituality of isolation and finding your way back to sacred connection. For more information, click HERE.

11/30 CREATIVITY CLUB

Enjoy a chance to hang out with other Keeping It Sacred community members, get to know each other better, and create. Bring your favorite form of creativity to work on, Art, Baking, Craft, Dance, etc. and share inspiration. Some weeks will include someone teaching how to do a project/technique, other weeks will be purely socializing while we do our own things.

12/4 HEALING CIRCLE