וַתַּ֨הַר ע֜וֹד וַתֵּ֣לֶד בֵּ֗ן וַתֹּ֙אמֶר֙ הַפַּ֙עַם֙ אוֹדֶ֣ה אֶת־ה' עַל־כֵּ֛ן קָרְאָ֥ה שְׁמ֖וֹ יְהוּדָ֑ה וַֽתַּעֲמֹ֖ד מִלֶּֽדֶת׃
She conceived again and bore a son, and declared, “This time I will praise ה'.” Therefore she named him Judah. Then she stopped bearing.
Review question: why does Leah Immenu call Yehudah by this name?
וְאָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן מִשּׁוּם רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן יוֹחַי: מִיּוֹם שֶׁבָּרָא הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אֶת עוֹלָמוֹ לֹא הָיָה אָדָם שֶׁהוֹדָה לְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, עַד שֶׁבָּאתָה לֵאָה וְהוֹדַתּוּ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״הַפַּעַם אוֹדֶה אֶת ה׳״.
And Rabbi Yoḥanan said in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai: From the day the Holy One, Blessed be He, created the world, no one thanked the Holy One, Blessed be He, until Leah came and thanked Him, as it is stated: “And she became pregnant and gave birth to a son, and she said, ‘This time I will give thanks to God,’ and thus he was called Judah” (Genesis 29:35).
Review question: what does this name mean? What Middah do we learn from here?
מוֹדֶה האשה אומרת: מוֹדָה אֲנִי לְפָנֶיךָ מֶלֶךְ חַי וְקַיָּם שֶהֶחֱזַרְתָּ בִּי נִשְׁמָתִי בְחֶמְלָה, רַבָּה אֱמוּנָתֶךָ:
I am thankful before You, living and enduring King, for you have mercifully restored my soul within me. Great is Your faithfulness.
Review question: what is the very frist prayer we say each day? Why do you think this comes first?
עַל הַכֹּל ה' אֱלֹקֵֽינוּ אֲנַֽחְנוּ מוֹדִים לָךְ, וּמְבָֽרְכִֽים אֶת־שְׁמָךְ. כָּאָמוּר, וְאָֽכַלְתָּ֖ וְשָׂבָ֑עְתָּ וּבֵֽרַכְתָּ֙ אֶת־ה' אֱלֹקֶ֔יךָ עַל־הָאָ֥רֶץ הַטֹּבָ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר נָֽתַן־לָֽךְ. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה', עַל הָאָֽרֶץ וְעַל הַמָּזוֹן:
And Upon all, L·rd, our G·d, do we thank You & bless Your Name. As it says “And you shall eat & be satiated & you shall bless the L·rd, our G·d for the good land that He gave you.” Blessed are You, L·rd, for the land & the food.
Review question: is saying thank you a Missvah? Where does it say this in the Torah?
אָמַר רַב הוּנָא אָמַר רַב מִשּׁוּם רַבִּי מֵאִיר, וְכֵן תָּנָא מִשְּׁמֵיהּ דְּרַבִּי עֲקִיבָא: לְעוֹלָם יְהֵא אָדָם רָגִיל לוֹמַר: ״כׇּל דְּעָבֵיד רַחֲמָנָא לְטָב עָבֵיד״. כִּי הָא דְּרַבִּי עֲקִיבָא דַּהֲוָה קָאָזֵיל בְּאוֹרְחָא. מְטָא לְהַהִיא מָתָא, בְּעָא אוּשְׁפִּיזָא לָא יָהֲבִי לֵיהּ. אֲמַר: ״כׇּל דְּעָבֵיד רַחֲמָנָא — לְטָב״. אֲזַל וּבָת בְּדַבְרָא, וַהֲוָה בַּהֲדֵיהּ תַּרְנְגוֹלָא וַחֲמָרָא וּשְׁרָגָא. אֲתָא זִיקָא כַּבְיֵיהּ לִשְׁרָגָא. אֲתָא שׁוּנָּרָא אַכְלֵיהּ לְתַרְנְגוֹלָא. אֲתָא אַרְיָה אַכְלֵיהּ לַחֲמָרָא. אֲמַר: ״כׇּל דְּעָבֵיד רַחֲמָנָא — לְטָב״. בֵּיהּ בְּלֵילְיָא אֲתָא גְּיָיסָא, שַׁבְיַיהּ לְמָתָא. אֲמַר לְהוּ: לָאו אֲמַרִי לְכוּ כׇּל מַה שֶּׁעוֹשֶׂה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא הַכֹּל לְטוֹבָה.
Rav Huna said that Rav said that Rabbi Meir said; and so it was taught in a baraita in the name of Rabbi Akiva: One must always accustom oneself to say: Everything that God does, He does for the best. The Gemara relates: Like this incident, when Rabbi Akiva was walking along the road and came to a certain city, he inquired about lodging and they did not give him any. He said: Everything that God does, He does for the best. He went and slept in a field, and he had with him a rooster, a donkey and a candle. A gust of wind came and extinguished the candle; a cat came and ate the rooster; and a lion came and ate the donkey. He said: Everything that God does, He does for the best. That night, an army came and took the city into captivity. It turned out that Rabbi Akiva alone, who was not in the city and had no lit candle, noisy rooster or donkey to give away his location, was saved. He said to them: Didn’t I tell you? Everything that God does, He does for the best.
Review question: what attitude does Ribbi Akiva teach us to have, that can help us be grateful always?
מוֹדִים אֲנַֽחְנוּ לָךְ, שֶׁאַתָּה הוּא ה' אֱלֹקֵֽינוּ וֵֽאלֹקֵי אֲבוֹתֵֽינוּ לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד, צוּרֵֽנוּ צוּר חַיֵּֽינוּ וּמָגֵן יִשְׁעֵֽנוּ אַתָּה הוּא, לְדוֹר וָדוֹר נוֹדֶה לְךָ וּנְסַפֵּר תְּהִלָּתֶֽךָ, עַל חַיֵּֽינוּ הַמְּסוּרִים בְּיָדֶֽךָ, וְעַל נִשְׁמוֹתֵֽינוּ הַפְּקוּדוֹת לָךְ, וְעַל נִסֶּֽיךָ שֶׁבְּכָל־יוֹם עִמָּֽנוּ, וְעַל נִפְלְאוֹתֶֽיךָ וְטֽוֹבוֹתֶֽיךָ שֶׁבְּכָל־עֵת, עֶֽרֶב וָבֹֽקֶר וְצָֽהֳרָֽיִם. הַטּוֹב, כִּי לֹא כָלוּ רַחֲמֶֽיךָ, הַמְּרַחֵם, כִּי לֹא תַֽמּוּ חֲסָדֶֽיךָ, כִּי מֵֽעוֹלָם קִוִּֽינוּ לָךְ:
We are grateful to You, that You are He Who is the L·rd, our G·d, & G·d of our fathers forever, & our Rock, the Rock of our lives & You are He Who is a Shield of salvation. For each & every generation, we will thank You & will relate Your praise, upon our lives that are placed in Your Hands, & upon our souls, that are entrusted in Your hands (when we sleep), & upon Your miracles that all day are with us, & all Your wonders & goodness at all times, at night, & morning & afternoon. The Good [One], for Your mercy never ends, The Merciful [One are You], for Your loving-kindness never ceases, forever we have hope in You.
Review question: how should grattitude influence our Tefillah?