Gratitude: A Key to Rosh Hashanah
By Rabbi Moshe Krieger, Yeshivas Bircas HaTorah
Parshas Ki Savo begins with the mitzvah of bikurim (bringing the first fruits to the Beis Hamikdash). The Sifri (Devarim 26:1) states: “Do this mitzvah so that you will merit to enter Eretz Yisrael.”
This is puzzling. The mitzvah of bikurim only went into effect after Yehoshua’s conquest of the land, and then the division of the land among the Tribes. This took 14 years. How could the merit of bringing bikurim have enabled us to enter Eretz Yisrael, if it only began afterwards?
Moreover, the mitzvah of bikurim could be fulfilled with the smallest amount of fruits. Why was this the mitzvah that enabled us to enter the land? Why not more difficult mitzvos?
In his sefer, Otzar HaTorah, Rav Eliyahu Schlesinger answers that the very acceptance of the mitzvah of bikurim gained for the Jews its merit right away. Even though it would be years until it was actually fulfilled, the Jews merited Eretz Yisrael because they understood the deep message of this mitzvah, expressed in its first verse: “When you shall come to the land that Hashem is giving you” (Devarim 26:1).
This may seem like an obvious point. Of course Hashem gave us the land. However, once a person gets used to viewing a piece of property as his own, the idea that Hashem gave it to him becomes foreign. Particularly when it has been his family’s possession for many generations, he takes for granted that this is his land.
Bikurim addresses this point, namely hakaras hatov (recognition of all the good Hashem does for us and thanking Him for it). Right away, as the Jew brings his first fruits to the Beis Hamikdash, he declares: “I have come to the land that Hashem promised to give to my fathers.” He says these words as he holds the basket of fruit in his hands, to show that everything, the land, the fruit, and all he owns comes from Hashem. The Sifri reveals that this recognition is what allowed him to enter Eretz Yisrael.
The Ramban (Shemos 13:16) states that the entire purpose for our coming to this world is to recognize Hashem’s kindness to us and thank Him for it. The Chovos Halevavos (Introduction to Shaar Avodas Elokim) states that when a Jew recognizes all Hashem does for him—his life, his health, family, possessions, livelihood, etc.–he can understand even without the Torah’s commanding him that he owes a great deal of service to Hashem. The more he thinks about what Hashem does for him, the more motivation he feels to fulfill the mitzvos in the best possible way.
Chovos Halevavos (ibid., chapter 3) goes on to say that there were holy men who would add to their hakaras hatov every day, and as their recognition grew, they added on more and more hiddurim to their avoda. In turn, they did teshuva each day for not having done these hiddurim earlier in their life. Thus, every one of their days was spent in teshuva and enhanced service of Hashem.
If we would really look into our lives and the tremendous good we receive from Hashem, we would realize that we have a great deal to be thankful for. The problem is, we tend to take the good things we have for granted. Moreover, all of us have some amount of difficulties in our lives, and these distract us from focusing on our many blessings.
The importance of recognizing the good and focusing on it is a key step in preparing for Rosh Hashanah. Rav Yosef Shlomo Kahanaman would tell people that the Selichos are trying to awaken us to this. When it states: “You, Hashem, have the tzedaka, and we have embarrassment,” this is meant to remind us that all we have in this life is only tzedaka, and we should be embarrassed to ask Hashem for it. This embarrassment should motivate us to do teshuva. We should understand that everything is a gift from Him and try to better ourselves before Rosh Hashanah.
He offered an analogy for this: When I came to Eretz Yisrael and began rebuilding the mosdos of Ponovezh, this meant going out to fundraise. Knocking on door after door was very hard. I was embarrassed, and often thought to myself as I knocked: “How I hope that no one answers the door.”
Why was I embarrassed? Because I knew I was asking for someone else’s money. Had I deposited money by them earlier and was simply coming to ask them to give it back, I would not have been embarrassed at all.
That’s how we feel about what we have. We take what we have for granted. “Why should I do teshuva before Rosh Hashanah?” we think. “I already have my health, my job, my home—I don’t need any special favors.” When we realize that whatever Hashem gives us is tzedaka, then whatever we ask of him is like asking for a hand-out. Thinking this way will certainly motivate us to do teshuva, said Rav Kahanaman.
My beloved brother-in-law, R’ Aharon Mordechai Meller, died after suffering from cancer for two-and-a-half years. He never publicized his illness, and tried as best as he could to go on with life as usual. When it came to hakaras hatov to Hashem, however, he grew and grew. Even though he had expressed gratitude to Hashem all his life, during his years of illness he developed this much more.
He began writing letters to Hashem, looking for more subjects to thank Him for, and adding a thank you “for all the times that You helped me and I never noticed, and for all the small things that I never got around to thanking You for.”
When the illness began taking more of a toll on his daily functioning, he worked even harder to express gratitude to Hashem. “Perhaps my thanks before were not wholehearted,” he would write, adding that what he did not understand, he also thanked Hashem for.
A few weeks before his passing, he attended the bar mitzvah of one of his grandsons. Although he could barely stand and talk, he called upon his grandson and all present to strengthen themselves in hakaras hatov.
“I try always to feel and appreciate what Hashem does for me,” he said, as all present shed tears. “Even the things that I think could be better, I know He is doing it for my good and I thank Him for it.” (May this dvar Torah be an elevation for his soul).
May we recognize all Hashem gives us and do teshuva!