Psychological research confirms what Judaism (and other great religious traditions) have known all along: gratitude is essential for psychological health and overall happiness. See for example this article from Harvard Medical School.
This week’s Torah portion confirms this as we read, “When you have eaten your fill, give thanks to the LORD your God for the good land which He has given you. Take care lest you forget the LORD your God and fail to keep His commandments, His rules, and His laws, which I enjoin upon you today. When you have eaten your fill, and have built fine houses to live in, and your herds and flocks have multiplied, and your silver and gold have increased, and everything you own has prospered, beware lest your heart grow haughty and you forget the LORD your God… and you say to yourselves, ‘My own power and the might of my own hand have won this wealth for me’ Remember that it is the LORD your God who gives you the power to get wealth, in fulfillment of the covenant that He made on oath with your fathers, as is still the case.”
But this week’s Torah portion teaches us something even more essential about gratitude. Gratitude promotes humility. It is easy for us to become arrogant and think that our success is based solely on our own efforts, rather than the being based on the work done by those who came before us and the social investments made by society in physical infrastructure, our legal system, our schools, and all the institutions that enable us to prosper.
Judaism teaches us that none of us succeed on our own. God, our ancestors, our society and our moral values are all components of success.
Now, in the depths of this pandemic, we are reminded of how little control we have over our lives. Let us practice humility and remember the spiritual and moral commitments that give our lives meaning and form the foundation of true to happiness.
Eikev, Deuteronomy 7:12 – 11:25 – Parshat Ha Shavua for Shabbat, Saturday, August 8, 2020
August 7, 2020 by Dean Kertesz •
Psychological research confirms what Judaism (and other great religious traditions) have known all along: gratitude is essential for psychological health and overall happiness. See for example this article from Harvard Medical School.
This week’s Torah portion confirms this as we read, “When you have eaten your fill, give thanks to the LORD your God for the good land which He has given you. Take care lest you forget the LORD your God and fail to keep His commandments, His rules, and His laws, which I enjoin upon you today. When you have eaten your fill, and have built fine houses to live in, and your herds and flocks have multiplied, and your silver and gold have increased, and everything you own has prospered, beware lest your heart grow haughty and you forget the LORD your God… and you say to yourselves, ‘My own power and the might of my own hand have won this wealth for me’ Remember that it is the LORD your God who gives you the power to get wealth, in fulfillment of the covenant that He made on oath with your fathers, as is still the case.”
But this week’s Torah portion teaches us something even more essential about gratitude. Gratitude promotes humility. It is easy for us to become arrogant and think that our success is based solely on our own efforts, rather than the being based on the work done by those who came before us and the social investments made by society in physical infrastructure, our legal system, our schools, and all the institutions that enable us to prosper.
Judaism teaches us that none of us succeed on our own. God, our ancestors, our society and our moral values are all components of success.
Now, in the depths of this pandemic, we are reminded of how little control we have over our lives. Let us practice humility and remember the spiritual and moral commitments that give our lives meaning and form the foundation of true to happiness.