By Laura Seymour
Dear families,
School has ended for many, and it’s almost camp season — my favorite time of the year. Being at camp makes me truly thankful. We must focus on being thankful, showing gratitude and recognizing all we have to appreciate — not waiting for a special time or holiday.
The Jewish value of hoda’ah — appreciation or gratitude — should be part of every day. Being thankful is a life-affirming quality and should be practiced both in good times and in more difficult ones.
A poll from a few years back, commissioned by the John Templeton Foundation, found that Americans believe their own gratitude is increasing while everyone else’s is going down. What does that say about us?
Here are some of the findings. As you read, think about whether these have changed in recent times:
How important is gratitude? More than 90% agreed that grateful people are more fulfilled, lead richer lives and are more likely to have friends.
When do we feel grateful? Given a list of categories, people were most grateful for their immediate families, followed closely by freedom.
How do we say “thanks”? Less than 50% said they would be “very likely” to thank salespeople, the mail carrier, cleaning staff and others.
Who is grateful? Women were more grateful than men. People ages 18–24 expressed gratitude less often than any other age group. The workplace was the least likely place for people to express thanks — despite most wishing to be thanked more often at work.
Lots of interesting thoughts for us to reflect on in our daily lives!
Judaism offers a clear way to express thanks: saying blessings. The rabbis tell us to say 100 blessings every day. However, the only Torah-mandated blessing is Birkat Hamazon, the blessing after meals. It is written in Deuteronomy 8:10: “And you shall eat and be satisfied, and bless Adonai your G-d for the good land which G-d has given you.”
There are four blessings in the traditional Birkat Hamazon:
Birkat Hazan — Praises G-d for sustaining life and providing food for all creatures.
Birkat Ha’aretz — Thanks G-d for being compassionate and nourishing the Jewish people with both food and Torah.
Birkat Yerushalayim — Asks G-d to be merciful, continue to support the Jewish people and rebuild Jerusalem.
Birkat Hatov V’hameitiv — Voices hope that “G-d will never deny us anything good.”
It’s interesting that the commandment is to bless after eating. Perhaps that’s when we feel most thankful — or maybe it’s when, being full, we forget to say thank you. Saying blessings beforehand helps us stop, reflect on how fortunate we are and appreciate the moment before moving on. Saying a blessing afterward reminds us not to take what we’ve been given for granted.
We must stop, look around and express our thanks — every moment of every day.
Laura Seymour is director of camping services at the Aaron Family Jewish Community Center