As I sit down to write this week’s Shabbat message for the e-letter, I am struggling to move beyond the many challenges that surround us. It seems that our world is crumbling on so many levels – which often leads to a spiritual disintegration as well. The war in Iran continues, the war in the Ukraine continues, airplanes have crashed, synagogues have been attacked. This is a hard time.

For me, the text is always the right place to begin. Reading the Torah portion grounds me in our tradition and helps me to make my way out of the darker places to the light. This week’s parasha is called Tzav. At first glance it appears to be quite irrelevant – speaking about all of the different types of sacrifices our ancestors would bring to the Temple in ancient days.  But tucked in among the many offerings is the one upon which I want to focus – the thanksgiving offering.  It’s worth pointing out that the text states that while all other sacrifices will be discontinued at some point in the future (the Messianic Age) the offering of thanksgiving (korban todah) will never cease.  That is to say that giving thanks is an eternal act – even when we reach a time of perfection. The rabbis who replaced animal sacrifice with prayer after the Temple was destroyed added to this, saying that while prayer may someday not be needed (in the Messianic Age) the prayer for Thanksgiving will never cease.

Perhaps, as we look around the world in chaos, one of our first responses must be to offer thanks for our own lives and the personal blessings we have at this time. We can make donations to support those in need or to encourage those seeking democracy. We make a meal for our neighbors going through a hard time or give blood when there is a shortage. We give what we can to others, but Judaism says we must also take time to give thanks for the gifts we have in our own lives. Some of us live with sadness, loss and other challenges, but most of us know love and feel comfort and are blessed with the tools we need to face each day.

Our modern prayer book is full of prayers of gratitude – both those in ancient Hebrew and modern poetry. At the very least we can say ‘Halleluyah’ – praise to the Divine force in our lives that helps us experience the good.  In her commentary on this week’s portion, Rabbi Naamah Kelman encourages us to “take a moment, and count your blessings: blessings that will live beyond our lives, blessings that not only make us whole but also make others whole as well.”  She also shares this poem by E.E.Cummings:

I thank you God for most this amazing
day; for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky; and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes

Amen and Shabbat shalom,
Rabbi Amy Schwartzman