Gratitude

סידור אשכנז, ימי חול, תפילת שחרית, הכנה לתפילה, מודה אני א׳

(א) מודֶה [מודָה] אֲנִי לְפָנֶיךָ מֶלֶךְ חַי וְקַיָּם, שֶׁהֶחֱזַרְתָּ בִּי נִשְׁמָתִי בְּחֶמְלָה, רַבָּה אֱמוּנָתֶךָ:

Siddur Ashkenaz, Weekday, Shacharit, Preparatory Prayers, Modeh Ani 1

I am grateful to You, living, enduring Sovereign, for restoring my soul to me in compassion. You are faithful beyond measure

Comment by R. Hammer
I am grateful. To wake in the morning is to be reborn. Nothing is to be taken for granted, certainly not life itself. The first word of prayer, is perhaps the most important מודה, I am thankful. The essence of prayer is the grateful acknowledgment of the gifts we have been given. (Or Hadash)

Rav Kook

לנבוכי הדור ד׳:ט׳

(ט) מציאות ההודאה והכרת טובה כשתחסר מהמציאות ישאר רוח האדם בלא זיו וזוהר, על כן לא יתכן שתהיה המציאות הכללית חסרה ההשתלמות הזאת, שאינה באה כי אם בהיות רצון חפשי מתעסק בטובת היצור.

For the Perplexed of the Generation 4:9

(9) When the existence of gratitude and recognition of the good becomes lacking from existence, the spirit of man is left without sparkle or shine. Therefore it is impossible for existence not to include this perfection, because it can only come when there is a free will involved in the benefit of creation.

נשמת כל חי

ְוִאלּוּ ִֶֽפינוּ ָמֵלא ִשׁיָרה ַכָּיּם, וְּלשׁוֵֶֹֽננוִּרָמּה ַכֲּהמוֹן ַגָּלּיו, ְוִשְׂפתוֵֶֹֽתינוּ ֶֶֽשַׁבח ְכֶּמְרֲחֵביָרִֶֽקיַע, ְוֵעיֵֶֽנינוּ ְמִאירוֹת ַכֶֶּֽשֶּׁמשְׁוַכָיֵֶּֽרַח, ְוָיֵֶֽדינוּ ְפרוּשׂוֹת ְכִּנְשֵׁרי ָשֶָֽׁמִים, ְוַרְגֵֶֽלינוּ ַקלּוֹת ָכַּאָיּלוֹת, ֵאין ֲא ֶַֽנ ְחנוּ ַמ ְס ִפּי ִקים ְלהוֹדוֹת ְלךָ, יי ֱאלֵֶֹֽקינוֵּואלֵֹהי ֲאבוֵֶֹֽתינוּ

From Nishmat Kol Hai

Could song fill our mouth as water fills the sea
And could joy flood our tongue like countless waves- Could our lips utter praise as limitless as the sky
And could our eyes match the splendor of the sun- Could we soar with arms like an eagle’s wings
And run with gentle grace as the swiftest deer- Never could we fully state our gratitude to you

Our God and the God of our ancestors.

This poetic passage describes the extent of our gratitude to God.

Why does the text use these images?
What occasions cause us to feel extreme gratitude?

From Birkat Hamazon
We thank You, Lord our God, for the pleasing, good and spacious land which you gave to our ancestors and for liberating us from Egyptian bondage. We thank You for the covenant sealed in our flesh, for teaching us Your Torah and Your precepts, for the gift of life and compassion graciously granted us, for the food we have eaten, for the nourishment You provide us all of our days, whatever the season, whatever the time.

What are we thanking God for in this paragraph?
What is the connection between this paragraph and eating? Why is this part of birkat

hamazon?
What are you grateful for?
How do you express your gratitude to God? To others?

"Who is rich? Those who rejoice in their own lot" (Pirkei Avot 4:1).

"Gratitude rejoices with her sister joy and is always ready to light a candle and have a party. Gratitude doesn't much like the old cronies of boredom, despair and taking life for granted." -R. Nachman of Breslov

Story: Whenever Rabbi Menachem Mendel, the Kotzker Rebbe, replaced a pair of worn out shoes, he would neatly wrap up the old ones in newspaper before placing them in the trash, and he would declare, "How can I simply toss away such a fine pair of shoes that have served me so well these past years!?" I felt the same way when I gave away my 1984 Honda that had ferried me so reliably for 18 years.

Story: Rabbi Eliyahu Lopian (1872 - 1970) was once talking to a student after prayers, and at the same time was folding up his tallis [prayer shawl]. The tallis was large and he had to rest it on a bench to fold it. After he had finished the folding, Reb Elyah noticed that the bench was dusty, and so he headed out to fetch a towel to wipe it off. The student to whom he was speaking realized what Reb Elyah was doing and ran to get the towel for him. Reb Elyah held up his hand. "No! No! I must clean it myself, for I must show my gratitude to the bench upon which I folded my tallis¹."