Dear Friends,

 

Have you ever noticed that we are all wired differently?  Some of us view life from an analytical, scientific frame of reference and others of us experience life from more of an emotional or spiritual perspective. Some of us are able to find a balance between these two approaches and others of us are very black and white in our understanding of life. I personally am the type of person who tends to be drawn both to the scientific as well as the spiritual, which is why I find it so fascinating that both science and faith have something to say about the power of gratitude!

 

More and more research has recently been done on the benefits of gratitude.  In a Harvard Health Newsletter, the benefits of practicing gratitude are clearly outlined.  You can read about the research at this link:  http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/in-praise-of-gratitude.  In Psychology Today, Amy Morin writes about seven benefits of being grateful: 

In a Tech and Science column in Newsweek Magazine you can learn about 5 scientifically proven benefits of gratitude ( http://www.newsweek.com/5-scientifically-proven-benefits-gratitude-398582):

The research clearly teaches us that:

 

Coming from the perspective that I do, in which I love to balance science with a spiritual approach to living, I find it very meaningful that the Jewish tradition places a great deal of emphasis on gratitude as well. 

 

In every prayer service there is a prayer known as the Hoda'ah, which is prayer of gratitude. The Jewish Mussar tradition, which outlines a spiritual approach to life and presents us with a discipline of transformative practices, also places great emphasis on gratitude. The Hebrew term for gratitude is Hakarat Ha'tov, which means to "recognize the good." As Alan Morinis who wrote the book Everyday Holiness writes, "practicing gratitude means being fully aware of the good that is already yours." As the ancient proverb teaches us, "Who is rich? The one who rejoices in his own lot." The Talmud teaches in a story how the very same experience can elicit different reactions and emotional responses.

            Ben Zoma use to say: "A good guest says, "how much my host toiled for me!  He put so much meat in front of me, so much wine, so much bread - all his  exertion was just for me!" A bad guest says, "What did my host toil for me? I ate  just one roll, just one piece of meat, I drank just one cup - all his exertion was for  his own household!'" Babylonian Talmud:  B'rachot 58A

 

As we enter the month of November, the month so many of us celebrate Thanksgiving, I encourage all of us to consider taking on the regular practice of gratitude. A story in the Talmud teaches us about one individual, Nachmun Ish Gamzu, who embraced this approach to life.  The Talmud tells us that Nachmun was a righteous man, who upon reaching the last days of his life, was faced with terrible physical pain and immobility.  Despite his hardships, he framed every experience that happened to him with the phrase, "Gam zu l'tovah - And that is also for the good."  Alan Morinis suggests this practice.  He writes, "When something apparently "good" happens to you, you offer the blessing, 'And that is also for the good.'  And if something "bad" happens to you, "And that is also for the good."  On the last broadcast of this television show, when comedian Jerry Lewis was being thrown off the air, he quoted the saying that Nachmun Ish Gamzu referred to above, which Lewis learned from his mother: "Gam zu l'tovah," he said on the camera.  "And that is also for the good." No doubt this is a difficult spiritual practice, but when done sincerely, it has a powerful impact on your life."  This practice may not work for all of us, but to try it in a focused mindful way for one month, may alter our perspective on life.

 

On the theme of gratitude, I hope you will consider joining with other congregations, as we do every year, for our Interfaith Thanksgiving  Service. This year, we will be gathering at The First Parish United in Westford on the town green on Tuesday night November 22nd at 7:00 pm. Our theme for the service is "The Abundant Community". Our prayers and readings will reflect on how we as a community can help those who are in need of resources and support and that by doing so we become a more abundant and rich community in that our society's fabric is enriched.

 

With Gratitude,