Rabbi Roundtable: Nov. 15, 2025

In Partnership with the Atlanta Rabbinical Association, The AJT’s monthly Rabbi Roundtable brings together rabbis from across Atlanta representing each denomination.

For this month’s discussion, each rabbi was asked the following question:

If gratitude is a Jewish spiritual practice, what’s the healthiest way to express it in a culture that often prizes complaint and critique?

Rabbi Daniel Dorsch

There’s an old joke where a waiter walks up to a bubbe in a restaurant. “Madam,” he asks, “is anything alright?”
As Jews, it sometimes seems like we’ve turned complaining into a spiritual artform. It’s easy to find fault in anything if we care to try.
Yet every day of our lives we encounter people who make our lives better whom we take for granted. How can we fix this?
There is a small, impactful way that we can make gratitude into a spiritual practice without much effort. Lately, I’ve been inundated by businesses asking me after a positive experience to leave them a five-star Google review.
According to Jon Clark of Moving Traffic Media, 96 percent of people specifically look for negative reviews when shopping online. We’re quick to relish a word of blame. But what if we spent as much time appreciating those who have done us right?
Baruch Sheamar Ve-haya HaOlam. It’s remarkable how words of gratitude can build up someone else’s world. It’s equally sad how just one critique can destroy someone else’s livelihood, too.
Take a moment today to give a local business whose services you genuinely appreciated a five-star Google review. Then, do it again tomorrow.

Rabbi Hirshy Minkowicz

Gratitude is something we live, not just something we feel. In Jewish life, it starts the moment we wake up. Even before opening our eyes, we say the Modeh Ani, thanking Hashem for returning our souls to us. Every meal, every sip of water, every simple pleasure is accompanied by a blessing, an acknowledgment that nothing we have is truly “ours” alone. Gratitude is the lens through which we see the world — it colors our relationships, our actions, and our very sense of purpose.
But gratitude doesn’t stop with G-d. It teaches us how to honor the people around us. When someone helps us, shares a kind word, or performs a thoughtful act, Judaism calls us to recognize and appreciate it, just as we recognize G-d’s blessings. Gratitude becomes a bridge, connecting the spiritual and the human, reminding us that every act of goodness — divine or human — matters.
It’s easy to think culture prizes complaint or critique, but meaningful people — those seeking purpose — are naturally full of gratitude. We don’t need to be swayed by trends or the voices of pop culture around us. Our task is to live by what the Torah teaches, and through our example, show the world a better way.
Gratitude is a daily practice that brings joy, connection, and holiness. It is both a discipline and a gift. By keeping thankfulness at the forefront, we transform not just our own lives, but the world around us, showing that a life rooted in appreciation is a life truly well-lived.

Rabbi Lara Tessler

The Jewish spiritual practice of Musar encourages individuals to embody specific values and attributes in daily life, creating a routine focused on how our inner traits can inspire sacred living.
When one takes on this practice with a focus on gratitude, a shift in mindset can result. To me, gratitude and awe are directly linked. The ability to recognize a moment full of awe creates the opportunity to feel grateful for such experiences.
Often, I find myself surprised by moments of awe — those instances of peace, serenity, and beauty in the natural world that quite literally take my breath away. There are also moments of connection, friendship, and love where I am overcome with gratitude for simply being in relationship with others. Reflection on these emotions is often overshadowed by daily tasks and stresses. The feelings appear unexpectedly, like a jack-in-the-box, sparking instant joy and reprieve.
Jewish tradition encourages acknowledgment of these moments through blessings. The Shehecheyanu expresses gratitude for being present in special moments. Other similar blessings praise natural wonders in the world and express gratitude to our creator for such things.
All these blessings invite us to be more present. When we pause to exist in gratitude and celebrate it, a steadiness begins to appear. Awe — and the gratitude that accompanies it — can be found all around us, lying just beneath the surface. Once we have faith and trust in our ability to access and nurture it within ourselves and others, we can express it at any time.

Rabbi Nachman Friedman

Many of us focus heavily on deficiencies in life and we have a hard time perceiving the good that counterbalances them. It is easy to fill our attitude and perception with dissatisfaction. This mindset blinds us from growth, appreciation and joy.
Gratitude is the remedy for disappointment. In the face of complaints one can and should refocus on what one has to avoid this thinking trap. To be Modeh is an appreciative feeling directed towards others who have performed a helpful action. It is a pause to reflect, acknowledge and “admit” we received aid or kindness from others.
A healthy expression of gratitude takes this idea one step further. Gratitude as an overall outlook rather than interpersonal skill is a wider life orientation where one notices and appreciates positivity in the world. It transitions our perception from what we desire to what we have.
Judaism doesn’t just promote gratitude as a good value, it provides an opportunity to live with gratitude. Rabbi Schiffman in “Psyched for Torah” writes that Jewish people have an advantage as we believe that everything is from G-d. This allows us more opportunities to say thank you as there are infinite reasons to express our appreciation towards G-d. Similarly, Rabbi Sacks wrote “there is something about belief in G-d that directs and facilitates our gratitude in a unique way.”
Rav Soloveichik notes that at the end of the silent prayer we thank G-d (Modim). We don’t say thank you for a specific item or event, but “each and every moment” of our day. Our gratitude takes a happy moment of kindness and broadens it towards a greater outlook of the world. Fredrickson’s “Broaden & Build Theory” (1998) states negative emotions narrow attention while positive emotions expand our ability to notice the good everywhere. This is the blessing of being Jewish.

About the Rabbis:

Rabbi Daniel Dorsch, Conservative
Rabbi Dorsch is the immediate past president of the Atlanta Rabbinical Association. He currently sits on the Board of Trustees for the Jewish National Fund and the American Jewish Committee in Atlanta and is a member of the Community Advisory Board for the Holocaust Museum at Kennesaw State University. A past member of USCJ’s Teen Engagement Committee, he also remains proud of his work as a former Vice President of MERCAZ-USA and fellow in Hazon’s Clergy Leadership Incubator cohort. He can’t wait to meet you for coffee (although he will have the iced tea) and tell you about the new and exciting things taking place at Etz Chaim.

Rabbi Hirshy Minkowicz, Chabad
Rabbi Minkowicz was born and raised in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn. In 1998, he finally settled down in Alpharetta, where he founded Chabad of North Fulton to serve the growing Jewish population in the northern suburbs. The Chabad now attracts hundreds of Jewish families from all walks of life to their wide array of community educational offerings, including what is believed to be the only Jewish camp in North Fulton, a vibrant adult education program, synagogue, day care, and a robust youth and teen program.

Rabbi Lara Tessler, Reform
Rabbi Lara Tessler was ordained at the Hebrew Union College Jewish Institute of Religion on the NYC campus in May of 2024, joined the clergy team at The Temple in July 2024, and was installed as the assistant rabbi in December 2024. While at Hebrew Union College, she was blessed by the opportunity to work with Woodlands Community Temple in White Plains, where she was the rabbinic intern for three years. She worked at URJ Camp Coleman during the summers and loves Jewish summer camp. You can find her spending time outdoors or searching for the tastiest desserts in her spare time!

Rabbi Nachman Friedman, Orthodox
Rabbi Nachi Friedman is the Rabbi at Congregation Anshi Sfard in Morningside and the school counselor at Torah Day School of Atlanta (TDSA). He enjoys merging his Rabbinic training along with psychology to engage with and learn from people of all ages. When not working, Rabbi Friedman enjoys spending time with his wife, five children, almost as much as he loves playing pickleball.