Say Thank You- Chanukah and the Cosmic Power of Gratitude

Imagine you have an important interview for your dream job in just two days. You are so anxious, you can hardly sleep. When trying to have a normal conversation, you are stuttering because your mind is obsessed with climbing this upcoming mountain. You have more than prayed, you have begged G-d to grant you success, but still the pressure is suffocating. You can’t live like this.
So you close your eyes, take a deep breath, and begin to whisper words of gratitude. “Thank You for my health, for my beating heart. Thank you for my house that doesn’t leak when it rains. Thank you for the delicious sandwich I just ate for lunch.” As you express your gratitude, your anxiety dissipates. Peace begins to wash over you. What do you have to worry? You have so much blessing, here and now. Even if you don’t get the job, you’re sure something even more fitting is right around the corner. Now, you can sleep at night, focus on other activities and come in to the interview calm and composed.

Rebbe Nachman explains in the second teaching in the second part of his magnum opus, Likutei Mohoran, that the greatest gift that Chanukah awards every Jew is the light of the World to Come.

Chanukah is called, in the words of our sages, ימי הלל והודאה, days of praise and thanksgiving. Unlike most of our other holidays, the observance of Chanukah does not revolve around festive meals. (Though enjoying a delicious oily meal is a mitzvah- one is not obligated to do so.) Rather, the essential energy of this holiday is gratitude. (1)

What is the connection between gratitude and the World to Come? Well, in the Gemara, the Rabbis divulge that after the Mashiach comes, we will no longer bring any sacrifices except for the Korban Todah, the Thanksgiving offering. That is what the post-Mashiach days are all about! Pure recognition of G-d’s Oneness and Goodness. So, when I say Todah to G-d with an overflowing heart, Rebbe Nachman says, I am transcending time and transporting a little bit of that World-To-Come-consciousness into my here-and-now limited vision.

So, when a person goes through a hard time, be it confusion, anxiety or G-d Forbid, painful suffering, he may feel like he needs a way out. But how? Start saying Thank You. Think about something in the past which was challenging, but brought about some beautiful change you can be grateful for, and allow the gratitude to flow from your lips and heart. Find something, anything, from inside your present difficulty that you are grateful for. It isn’t possible that even in our hardest moments there isn’t something good we can find and be appreciative for.

Each “Thank You” is like another Chanuka flame, each illumining more and more the darkness, flashing the vision of salvation before anything even changes! “Todah” is a portal to the awesome consolation of the end of days, when it will be so clear that everything is exactly the way it should be. The peace that comes from this practice of articulating my “thanks” to G-d opens up a wellspring of joy from within, granting me the strength and clarity to make any necessary real changes that I may need to make.

So, don’t be stingy with your gratitude. It flows from the Infinity within you, which knows no bounds. Expand your mind to truly appreciate the unfathomable amount of details through which Hashem’s אחדות הפשוט, perfect Unity, worked through, to give you the abundance that you have. Be transported above time and manifest then, now.

According to Halacha, every person should sit by the glowing Chanukah lights for at least thirty minutes. This is a perfect time to relax your mind, open your heart and articulate your gratitude to Hashem. Hashem will, as it were, say, “You are happy with what I already gave you? I’ll show you goodness.” So, at the end, feel free to express any prayer requests you may have for you and your loved ones.

Have a Delightful Chanukah 🙂