A Chanukah Message from Maayan Schoen

There is so much to be thankful for, and there are so many worthwhile ways to demonstrate gratitude, with suggestions abounding in this season of thanksgiving. In his article “Giving Thanks,” Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z”l writes that “the almost universal instinct to give thanks is one of the signals of transcendence in the human condition.” Though instinctual, it is worth continually cultivating. In the Jewish spirit of this publication, I’ve put together a list of eight biblical ways to show gratitude, some adapted for modern living, some up to your modern interpretation, and others… to be taken with a grain of salt. There are, of course, many more biblical ways to show gratitude!

*Like Leah, thank G-d, and even consider naming a child something that conveys your thanks (Genesis 29:35).

*Pour out some wine and invite friends to join you in consuming forty loaves of bread and a feast, like those who brought the thanksgiving sacrifice, or korban todah (Leviticus 7:12).

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*Publicize the miracles that have benefited you, even if doing so necessitates giving something else up (Shabbat 23b).

*Drop off your toddler son to serve in your Temple for the rest of his life, like Chana did (Samuel 1:22-24).

*Do not oppress any strangers (Exodus 23:9).

*Bring the first of your groceries to your local priestly families (Exodus 23:19).

*Pause after eating to express thanks (Deuteronomy 8:10).

*Give the eligible bachelor/ette in your family to the nice person who fetched water for you and your ten pets, and make sure to shower them with gifts, in the spirit of Eliezer and Rivkah (Genesis 24:14-53).

Let me know how these go! Happy Thanksgiving and Chanukah to all and wishing us a year of light and gratitude ahead.

Maayan Schoen graduated from Torah Day School and Atlanta Jewish Academy and studied in the Migdal Oz Beit Midrash for Women in Israel. She is a junior at Yale University.