TEMPLE HIGHLIGHTS | RABBI'S MONTHLY COLUMN

Modim and the Season of Thanksgiving

From the study of Cantor Cohn

Editor’s note: From time to time throughout the year, in addition to Rabbi David Stern’s columns, other members of our clergy will be contributing columns in this space.

Nothing in all Americana surpasses our annual celebration of Thanksgiving, with its appreciation for the bounty of the land, and its focus on family, friends and food. We Jews have our own festival of thanks—Sukkot—that lasts for seven days, is celebrated for its theme of welcoming guests, and is adorned with autumnal hue and harvest fragrance.
Another Judaic interpretation of gratitude is the daily (even thrice-daily-recited!) prayer of thanksgiving, Modim anachnu Lach, which those of us raised on the Union Prayer Book will recognize immediately in translation: “We gratefully acknowledge, O Lord our God.” As this year’s Thanksgiving approaches, let’s take a deeper look at this classic rubric of worship.

Modim asserts many “acknowledgements:”
1) That the transcendent, ineffable God is our Eternal Source (our own, that of our ancestors, and in perpetuity);
2) That God is the stabilizing Presence in our lives, offering the possibility of spiritual deliverance in every generation;
3) That our lives are sustained and supported by the Divine “hand;”
4) That our souls are attached in trust to the greater Soul of which we are all a part;
5) That marvels and beneficences surround us throughout each day (reminding us to be attentive to them);
6) That God’s goodness is expressed through inexhaustible compassion (ours to emulate);
7) That God’s compassion is premised on limitless lovingkindness (ours to evoke);
8) That hope, the emblematic spiritual resource of the Jewish people, obtains;
9) That the accumulation of these gifts generates a cascade of blessings from which we draw sustenance; and
10) That God is identified with that which ultimately proves to be beneficial.

How challenging it is to embrace the teachings of this prayer! We have so many vulnerabilities—to illness, loneliness, loss, hopelessness or misfortune. Sometimes, when things don’t go our way, it’s hard to remain steadfast in our faith.

The wisdom of persistently repeating Modim is that it habituates us to an awareness of enduring values. It accustoms us to inclining toward gratefulness. It fortifies us with resilience to face difficult times. It directs our attention toward that which transcends the self. It leads us to discover—mindful of the loving kindness, compassion and goodness that inhere in each gift—pathways to a more intimate relationship with God.

In his book, “God in Search of Man,” Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel posits that the “beginning of happiness lies in the understanding that life without wonder is not worth living.” He intensifies this concept to what he calls “radical amazement,” that is, awareness not only of “what we see,” but also of “the very act of seeing” and of “the selves that see and are amazed at their ability to see.” He goes on to cite Modim as a prayer that attunes us to “profound and perpetual awareness of the wonder of being,” stating that the “sense for the ‘miracles which are daily with us,’ the sense for the ‘continual marvels,’ is the source of prayer.” He elaborates that “there is no worship, no music, no love, if we take for granted the blessings or defeats of living.”

As we prepare for Thanksgiving, let us take inspiration from these hallowed words of Jewish prayer, so that our homes and hearts will be abundant with music, love and blessing.

Modim

We acknowledge with thanks that You are Adonai, our God and the God of our ancestors, forever. You are the Rock of our lives, and the Shield of our salvation in every generation. Let us thank You and praise You—for our lives which are in Your hand, for our souls which are in Your care, for Your miracles that we experience every day, and for Your wondrous deeds and favors at every time of day: evening, morning and noon. O Good One, whose mercies never end, O Compassionate One, whose kindness never fails, we forever put our hope in You. For all these things, O Sovereign, let Your Name be forever praised and blessed. O God, our Redeemer and Helper, let all who live affirm You and praise Your Name in truth. Blessed are You, Adonai; Your Name is Goodness, and You are worthy of thanksgiving. (Mishkan Tefilah)