Rabbi Carl M. Perkins
Cantor Jamie Gloth
Melissa Rudman, Executive Director 
Arlene Bryer, President

The Blessing of Gratitude
April 7, 2020 | 13 Nisan 5780


Dear Friends,

Does the thought of wishing someone "Hag Sameach!" (Happy Holiday!") seem artificial this year, given the circumstances?

I'd like to share with you a lovely reflection by a friend and colleague of mine, Rabbi Amy Katz. She points to the Jewish secret to getting through tough times: Gratitude .

Here's what Rabbi Katz has to say:

It is rare to hear people say, when commenting on a blessing in their lives, "It's enough." When it comes to goodness, we are often not satisfied. We want an abundance of happiness, and sometimes even feel entitled to it. There is one poem in the Haggadah which addresses this issue of "enough" directly. I am guessing that most of you know it and many of you sing it at your seder. It is called Dayenu.

Dayenu consists of 15 stanzas referencing different historical moments the Israelites experienced as they left Egypt and made their way to the land of Israel. After each stanza, we sing the chorus DAYENU. When we sing DAYENU we are saying that if this were the total of God's miraculous intervention into the lives of the Israelites, it would have been sufficient.

The point of the poem is to help us cultivate gratitude. There are many blessings. Indeed. There always are -- or so we pray there will be.

So what does it feel like to say "Dayenu" THIS year? What does it mean to apply the important lessons of gratitude to our lives THIS year ?

Perhaps the following questions will help lead us to find some measure of blessing during these difficult days:

Is there anything about the last few weeks that has surprised you in a positive way? (Write it down.)

Is there anything you have experienced or heard about that went beyond what you thought was expected? (Write it down.)

Has someone in your life, or someone you've heard about, surprised you by being especially attentive or caring? (Write it down.)

Is there anyone you are glad that you heard from in the last couple of weeks?  (Write it down.)

Aren't those wonderful questions? Here's what I recommend: write down your responses, and come to your seders on Wednesday and Thursday evening prepared to share some of them. I believe that if you and the others at your seders devote a few minutes to sharing what you are thankful for, your experience at your seders -- and beyond -- will be enhanced.

Rabbi Katz concludes by saying:

Judaism calls upon us to remember the positives as well as the negatives, and thus to cultivate an approach of gratitude to help us through the journey into the  midbar/מדבר  -- the wilderness ahead -- on our way to a Land of Promise. 


Right now, my guess is that the journey we are all on feels a lot like wandering in the wilderness. We may have an inkling of what lies ahead, but we know that there's a great deal of uncertainty. We don't know how well we as a nation will continue to work together to "flatten the curve." Will we succeed? Will we fail? Perhaps hundreds of thousands of lives hang in the balance. How resourceful, how cooperative, will we be? How helpful will we be to those among us who have lost their jobs? Will this crisis tear us apart -- or reveal hidden strengths within us?

Let's hope that we remain united and committed to doing all we can to help one another through these difficult days. A good way to start is to cultivate gratitude. It's a precious blessing that can help each of us -- and all of us.

Hag Sameach!

Sincerely,

Rabbi Carl Perkins

P.S. A member of our congregation, Fred Ledley, recently posted the following cartoon, and his response to it was simple: "Starting to plan for a virtual Passover 2020. If we can only celebrate together by zoom -- Dayeinu!"