Give thanks (to God), because it’s good.
Hodu l’Adonai ki tov - Psalm 136
This month, Temple Sholom will host, for the first time in our own home, the Scotch Plains/Fanwood Community Thanksgiving service - on Monday, November 24th. Each year the celebration moves to different houses of worship large enough to hold the service, which includes prayers from different faith communities, a dedication of our CropWalk funds, and a special collection for a fund or cause of the year. As hosts of this occasion, we hope that you will be present to welcome the rest of the community to our new home.
Why is it that we choose this time of year for an interfaith service? We also come together as a community at Memorial Day, September 11th, and other dates of national significance. Thanksgiving, too, is an expression of our national mood, a declared holiday to pause and give thanks for all that we have. Whether or not we view the survival of the pilgrims in the same way as the native Americans might, we do understand that there is value in taking a moment to give thanks- and we find this sentiment not only common in our faith communities, but across our culture.
In our regular service, we have many opportunities to give thanks. Scholars of prayer have divided Jewish prayer into three categories - prayers of general praise, prayers of petition, and prayers of thanksgiving. The clearest prayer of thanksgiving in our regular liturgy is the hoda’ah, which comes toward the end of the t’filah, just before the prayer for peace and the silent prayer. In this prayer, also known as the modim, we publicly acknowledge what we have been given, take a moment to see each moment as a miracle in itself, and thus worthy of thanks.
Notice in the above paragraph that I did not say thanks to God. That was on purpose. The term “God” is a loaded one in our society. No matter how much we talk about God being a concept, or a placeholder for theology, people hear “God” and immediately think of an old man with a beard peering down from the heavens. To be more clear, one does not have to believe in a Theistic God - a God who hears everything and responds to personal prayer - to give thanks. One can be grateful no matter what one’s theology may be. Even atheists can give thanks - and should.
Not everything on this earth comes from the work of our own hands. Where and to whom we were born have had more influence on whether we struggle to feed ourselves in our daily lives than how well we scored on the SAT’s. A truly just world would have opportunity and food for all - not only for those lucky enough to be born in a developed nation, with free primary education, clean water, a social welfare system, and advanced medical care. Modesty is also a virtue. In acknowledging all that we have received through no fault of our own, we become better people. When we realize that we can lead the lives that we do because of a web of people whom we may not even know, we are more grounded. That might even be enough, but, hopefully, such modesty and a realization of how much we rely on others can spur us to do what we can for those who may depend, unknowing, upon us.
As Thanksgiving approaches; as we prepare to give thanks with our greater Scotch Plains and Fanwood community, let us resolve not only to be more cognizant of all the blessings that we have in our lives, but also resolve to bring those blessings and more to others. Truly, the best way to give thanks is to provide something that others will be thankful for.
