Thanks Amidst Struggle

Newsletter November 25th, 2024 Together, we're #keepingitsacred...

Four people must offer thanksgiving:

Those went down to the sea,

Those who journeyed in the desert,

Those who were sick but recovered, and

the prisoners who have been set free.

This is what Rav Yehudah said in the name of his teacher known as Rav, 1,750 years ago, as it was recorded in the Talmud (Berachot 54b).

I am fascinated by the reasoning behind this mandate. The rabbis insist that each journey has revealed a bit of God’s mercy—

The sailor has known the tumult of the sea.

The desert wanderer has known the disorientation of of the wilderness and felt the lacking of a place of safety.

The sick person has felt affliction and woe.

And the prisoner has sat in darkness and been humbled.

Each has struggled in their unique way, but each has survived. And for that, a benediction of thanksgiving is requisite.

This kind of practice is further prescribed in Psalms 107, which ends with the idea that the wise person takes note of these things for which to be grateful, and meditates upon the steadfast love of the Eternal.

I find it fascinating that those who have known hardship are precisely the ones required to give thanks— not the ones who are prospering. Jewish tradition challenges us to find things to be grateful for amidst our struggles.

And not just any thanksgiving— thanks, according to Abbaye, must be declared in front of 10 or more people. Bearing witness to Divine benevolence is part of the sacred act.

This week, you may be gathered around a table this Thanksgiving holiday (for those of us in the US), or you may feel inclined to share your gratitude with others wherever you are— and if you aren’t going to be in a place where 10 are gathered, I’ll invite you to share your thanks as a comment on my Facebook page where surely 10 or more people will bear sacred witness to your gratitude.

In this past year, many have felt like the sailor, desert wanderer, the one afflicted with illness, or the prisoner. This past year, we might have felt like some combination of each of these. But, we are still here.

Let’s take the time to share with one another what we are grateful for—

This is how we’re keeping it sacred.

Together we’re #keepingitsacred…

Rabbi Heather Miller

Founder, Keeping It Sacred

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