Giving Thanks

 

♦ For His kindness has overwhelmed us, and the truth of God is eternal, halleluyah!

            Psalms 117:2

 

            Rabbi Baruch Ber Leibovitz, the rosh yeshiva of Kaminetz, told the following story to my grandfather, Rav Ruderman (may his memory be for a blessing), when my grandfather was a young teenager.

            In eighteenth century Lithuania, an aristocrat called Count Valentine Potocki converted to Judaism, in consequence of which he was sentenced to death. As he was awaiting execution, the Vilna Gaon visited him. Avraham ben Avraham (as Count Potocki was now called) was weeping, and the Vilna Gaon expressed surprise at his tears in light of the fact that he had the opportunity to sanctify God’s Name. Avraham ben Avraham replied, “I rejoice over this opportunity. But I am weeping because I have no Jewish father and no Jewish children, and I feel as if I never took root among the Jewish people.”

            The Vilna Gaon responded, “God states, ‘I am the first and I am the last’ (Isaiah 44:6). The midrash explains that ‘I am the first’ means, ‘I am the father of those who have no father,’ and ‘I am the last’ means, ‘I am the son of those who have no children.’ This is speaking of a convert such as yourself. God is your father and your child. He is your root in Israel. Is he not better to you than ten children?” (cf. Samuel I 1:8).

            As we enter the month of Elul, we celebrate the intensity of God’s love for us, which is expressed in His attention to every detail of our needs, including our emotional needs.

 

♦ Give thanks to God Who is good, for His kindness is forever!

♦ Let Israel declare that His Kindness is forever!

♦ Let the House of Aaron declare that His kindness is forever!

♦ Let those who are in awe of God declare that His kindness is forever!

            Psalms 118:1-4

 

            Rav Yechezkel Levenstein explains these verses as a crescendo of thanks.

            In the first verse, we offer thanks as part of all creation: “Give thanks to God Who is good, for His kindness is forever!”

            Not satisfied with that, we go on to offer songs of gratitude for the opportunities offered us by the covenant between God and Israel: “Let Israel declare that His Kindness is forever!”

            Then we intensify our gratitude by singing as part of the kingdom of priests that we are destined to become (Exodus 19:6): “Let the House of Aaron declare that His kindness is forever!”

            Finally, our song of thanks raises us to a point where we thank God from the perspective of those who achieve the awe of God: “Let those who are in awe of God declare that His kindness is forever!”

            We sing these four verses as we begin Elul in order to celebrate our opportunity to ascend to higher levels of attachment to God so that on each new day of the month the song of the previous day will no longer suffice to express the intensity of our gratitude.

By: Rabbi Simcha Weinberg