The Gratitude Effect

Friday November 28, 2025/8 Kislev 5786/Shabbat Vayetze

Hevre/Friends,

Waking up the Friday morning after Thanksgiving to the smells of soup, roasting vegetables and chicken might make someone feel like they’re in the movie Groundhog Day, but for many of us it could not be more normal. After all, it’s Shabbat in a few hours and dinner has to be made. I mean, leftovers might only go so far, at least in our family!

As per our weekly routine, Andi and I put on our favourite Friday morning Spotify playlist: Chill Israel music. Nothing makes us feel more at home, wherever we may be. Having finished my jobs in the kitchen, I sat down to write this Shabbat message about gratitude when on came a beautiful song in the collection - Modeh Ani by Daniel Ben Haim. Riffing off of  the words of our first and most important daily prayer, it is a soaring tribute to all we have to be grateful for every day: family, community, food, shelter, music, all the abilities and talents with which we’ve been blessed.

These days there are so many distracting crises here and abroad which can eclipse the myriad gifts life presents us every day right before our very eyes. Yet, remaining aware of how much there is to be thankful for will only gird us better for the battles around us. 

In this week’s Torah portion of Vayetzte, as Jabob flees Esav’s wrath and leaves home, God promises him everything: ongoing divine presence and protection, inheritance of the land, a nation as numerous as the grains of sand upon the earth, even global prominence. In response, Jacob acknowledges the sacred space he’s encountered, but expresses that his primary concern is for God to enable him to journey safely, that he find food and clothing to sustain him, and that he one day can return in peace to his parents’ home. 

There’s a time to focus on all we need for the larger undertakings and missions that drive our lives. And there’s a time to focus on the basics we need to see us through our days and nights. Today, I look around and feel overwhelmed with gratitude for my devoted mother and stepmother, my loving children, children-in-law, and step-children, my cherished siblings, my treasured friends and community, and, of course, my amazing spouse who’s hard at work in the kitchen, swaying to the music while preparing a feast for our family Shabbat dinner, nourishing us as she always does not only with her food but with her endless and gracious love. 

Look away from the headlines for a moment and gaze around at whoever and whatever it is that fills you with the urge to say thank you. Hold on to this feeling. Let us pray it can motivate and equip us to build a world in which our gratitude will only continue to grow and reach the expanses promised this week.

With ongoing prayers for the return of the remaining murdered hostages, for the bereaved and the injured, and with blessings for a Shabbat Shalom,

Dini

(Photo by Ronen Avisror)