Torah For Today

Chaya Sara

Gen. 23:1=3D25:18=

T= his coming week is Thanksgiving. It is a wonderful opportunity to give thanks to God and to people for the blessings in our lives. Our Torah portion this we= ek contains the first time that a man “blesses” God. When Eliezer, the head-servant of Abraham finds Rebekah by the well, he blesses God for directing to exactly the right person. The= re are many passages in the Bible that command us to be thankful and to “ble= ss God.” Consider the foll= owing passages:

Psalm 33:2 Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre; Sing praises to Him with a harp= of ten strings.

Psalm 105:1 Oh give thanks to the LORD, call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples.<= /span>

Psalm 107:1 Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

Psalm 103:1-2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, And all that is within me, bless His holy name. ² Bless the = LORD, O my soul, And forget none of His benefits;

Psalm 134:2 Lift up your hands to the sanctuary And bless the LORD.

1 Thessalonian= s 5:18 in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Messiah Yeshua.

Colossians 3:17 Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giv= ing thanks through Him to God the Father.

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In English, it is hard to differentiate between “praise” and “bless”. However in Hebrew, there definitely is a difference. Praise emphasizes the words used to affirm. “Bless” emphasizes = the action of affirmation. One could say that to “praise” is a subs= et of “bless.” The New Covenant brings this out i= n Col. 3:17 quoted above. Notice that it says “word and deed.” When we “bless” God we participate in action that gives praise to God. = The context of the above verses is worship. When we gather for worship, we participate = in the action of blessing God by singing to Him in both song and liturgy, givi= ng Him praise. The basic formula for Jewish liturgy is “Blessed are you = Oh Lord our God, King of the Universe.”= We verbalize our words praise, acknowledging the Name of God and who= He is. This is then followed either by a petition or by mentioning something unique about God. By using the words “blessed are you” we are making his name and his known; we are making h= is sovereignty known. The formul= a puts God in His rightful position in every prayer. God enjoys being blessed by people because it means that we have experienced God in some way and are responding to that experience. Parents receive joy from the act of children thanking them because parents want their children to receive and enjoy blessing from them. It is = the same with God. In Judaism, we= bless God when we wake up, when we go to bed, for everything that happens. We tha= nk God for waking up in the morning, or the use of our bodily functions, for t= he sun rising and for many gifts that we take for granted. We are too busy, too self-absorbed, too lazy to take the time to than= k God for everything we have.

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J= ust as it is imperative for us to thank and bless God, so it is important for our spiritual growth as well as our emotional well being to develop a thankful attitude toward people. When King Hezekiah and the othe= r in his court saw the offering of the first firs= ts of Shavuot, they “blessed the Lo= rd and His people Israel.” Not only were they thankful= to God, they were also thankful to the people. We need to develop an attitude of thankfulness both to the Lord and to people. God often blesses us through o= ther people. When we verbally thank people or show them some form of appreciatio= n, we are engaging in an action of “blessing.” This type of activity ultimately c= auses us to be much more positive in our outlook and frankly makes us happier peo= ple. The Hebrew Bible brings this out in a passage such as Psalm 1. There we rea= d, Psalm 1:1 How blessed is the man who does not wa= lk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! The word “blessed” is the word “ashrei” which means “happy.” This w= ord is often used in the Bible to describe the “blessedness” of people= who walk with the Lord and give thanks to Him. This is a parallel term to the G= reek word for “blessed” in the Sermon on the Mount in Mathew 5:3-11.= In that passage, we read that people are blessed when they walk in the ways of= the Lord. The word means happy or satisfied.&n= bsp; When we have an “attitude of gratitude”, remembering what God and others have done in our lives, we will be happier and more satisfie= d. In addition, verbalizing thanks and affirmation to others may transform the lives of the people you affirm and thank. Words are very powerful and can m= ake a dramatic difference in people’s lives. Finally, there are many people who suddenly lose a loved one or friend and wish that they had just one more opportunity to say “thank you” or “I love you” or o= ther words of affirmation. Don’t live with those regrets. Take the opportu= nity this Thanksgiving to give thanks to God and to people. You will make God ha= ppy as well as give someone a special moment a= nd you will be “blessed”. Happy Thanksgiving.

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