Jewish Wisdom

“Gratitude is not just a nice gesture or a worthy personal quality. It is a real obligation, like any other in the code of law. If you withhold it, you are a thief.”
– Rabbi Yerucham Levovitz (1873-1936, Belarus)

 כבוד הבריות – kavod habriyot – the honor and dignity of all people 

Each person has a unique, inherent value that invites us to consider how we treat those who live under different circumstances than our own. We recognize the unique and infinite value of every person and believe everyone deserves equal rights, dignity and to be met with generosity. 

The word in Hebrew for honor, כבוד, kavod, is related to the word for weight and heaviness (heavy = kaveid in modern Hebrew). The value and concept of kavod habriyot then, is related to giving weight to the presence of another human being.
-Values in Action, M² 

And she conceived again, and bore a son; and she said: ‘This time will I praise (thank) the LORD.’ Therefore she called his name Judah; and she left off bearing.
– Genesis 29:35

When Leah, the wife of the patriarch Jacob, had her fourth child, she named him “Yehudah”, which means, “I am grateful,” to reflect her gratitude to God for the gift of another son. The name Yehudah is the source of the Hebrew name of the Jewish people (Yehudim), revealing the explicit tie between Judaism and gratitude.
– Jewish Education Project 

Secular Wisdom

Gratitude turns what we have into enough.
– Maya Angelou 

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.
– John F. Kennedy 

Writing thank-you notes is not just good manners. It can have a strong psychological effect for both the sender and receiver, suggests research published in the September 2018 issue of Psychological Science. Gratitude is good for the brain. Some studies have shown it also reduces aches and pains and has other health benefits. 

Guiding Questions

• What text stands out to you? What text challenges you? What text resonates with you?  
• Do you see gratitude as an obligation?  
• What impact have you experienced by expressing gratitude and receiving gratitude?  
• How can you incorporate gratitude into your life more? Into your community?