Dear Friends,
It is rather amazing to me that the day after Thanksgiving, a day based on the Jewish holiday of gratitude known as Sukkot, has become a day of conspicuous consumption as companies offer discounts in the hopes of capturing our dollars.
Then, not content with just one day of wall to wall and screen to screen sales promotions, marketers, in the hopes of boosting end of the year, introduced CyberMonday.
To balance Black Friday and CyberMonday, Giving Tuesday was introduced. It reminds us that wanting to do more for others is of greater import and power than seeking to have more for ourselves.
But as we sit here today, still sated from our turkey, stuffing, and sweet potatoes with marshmallows (my personal favorite), I want to add one more “day” into this holiday weekend—Gratitude Saturday. To recapture what Thanksgiving SHOULD be, make tomorrow a day to pause whatever we are doing and reflect on the gifts in our lives. When we do, we will recognize that as nice as they are, true success and meaning in life don’t come from the material things, the accolades or the business success. Instead, true success comes from the connections we have with others and our ability to act in ways that make their lives better.
Philosopher Martin Buber captured this sentiment when he wrote:
The older we get, the greater becomes our inclination to give thanks, especially heavenwards. We feel more strongly than we could possibly have felt before that life is a free gift, and [we] receive every unqualifiedly good hour… as an unexpected gift.
But we also feel, again and again, an urge to thank our brothers and sisters, even if they have not done anything special for us. For what, then, do I thank you? For really meeting me when we met; for opening your eyes, and not mistaking me for someone else; for opening your ears, and listening carefully to what I had to say to you…
So welcome to Gratitude Saturday… and Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Daniel Cohen