Despite a rough start in Jacob’s life which we read about last week, when he tricked his father and stole his twin’s birthright blessing, Jacob had a life of abundance. He is a father to many children, he reconciled with his brother, he lived to bless his children and many grandchildren. His family accumulated significant wealth and they grew from a family to a community, the beginning of a nation. Jacob, we could argue, had so much to be grateful for.
But Jacob’s biggest expression of gratitude is in this week’s parashah, at the beginning, when things actually aren’t so great. All of those wonderful things in his life haven’t happened yet, and yet he is grateful.
Jacob, in this week’s reading of Vayeitzei, flees from his family worried that Esav will kill him. He is alone in every way possible. He rests for the night with a mere rock as a pillow, and his future is entirely unknown. But Jacob dreams that night of angels on a ladder, and he wakes up with hope for the future and with gratitude. He creates a monument and promises to give a tenth of whatever he accumulates in gratitude.
Jacob reminds us that feeling gratitude isn’t necessarily automatic. We have to put in the thoughtful work to achieve that mindset. But what I learn from Jacob, perhaps more important than that, is that it’s possible to cultivate that gratitude even when things are hard, even when we feel alone and afraid. It doesn’t mean that we should feel gratitude then and it doesn’t mean there’s something wrong if we can’t feel it, it simply means it’s possible.
We might expect that we feel gratitude the most when we have it all, when nothing is wrong. But Jacob was able to feel that sense of gratitude precisely when it did seem like everything was wrong. Jacob gives me hope that we, too, can feel gratitude even when so much is not right. It’s possible. Though we may be in dark and lonely times, I pray that, like Jacob, we can feel many blessings ahead of us. I pray that we find things to be hopeful for. I pray that we find things to inspire us. And I pray that we remember, even when it’s dark and we’re alone and afraid, gratitude is possible.
Shabbat Shalom Rabbi Sarit
Please click here to join our Shabbat morning service, live-streamed from our sanctuary at 9:15AM on Shabbat morning.
