{"id":208,"date":"2013-07-26T18:42:17","date_gmt":"2013-07-26T18:42:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/growingupwithtorah.com\/?p=208"},"modified":"2020-08-20T23:13:15","modified_gmt":"2020-08-20T23:13:15","slug":"hodaah-gratitude-saving-the-world-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/growingupwithtorah.shmuelelbinger.com\/index.php\/2013\/07\/26\/hodaah-gratitude-saving-the-world-part-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Ho'da'ah – Gratitude – Saving the World, Part 1"},"content":{"rendered":"

I’ve mentioned that I’m in a course that teaches using Torah principles in counseling and couching. My coaching buddy “Medium sized Mike,” has been encouraging me to go forward on my writing projects. One of them was a little pamphlet I’d like to publish on Ho’da’ah<\/em>. It’s based on a talk I gave at a siyum<\/em>, which I probably won’t post on the blog. It’s a really good first time little publication idea.
\nSo he wouldn’t let me alone about it (I mean, he was very positive and encouraging, and we worked on techniques to help with writer’s block – in this case procrastination etc…) Well, the major second draft is done! So I’m going to post it up in a few installments so I can get your feedback before I polish it. When I’m done I’ll give it its own page.
\nHere goes:<\/p>\n

Gratitude \u2013 The Key to Personal Power, the Love of Self and Others, and Saving the World<\/h1>\n

<\/p>\n

Simply Thank You<\/h2>\n

The Hebrew word for gratitude, ho\u2019da\u2019ah,<\/i> has other definitions as well: it can connote the confession of a sin, a concession to another person\u2019s position in an argument, or the admission of a debt.
\nIt is easy to compare a person\u2019s monetary debt to the moral debt generated when one wrongs another \u2013both instances involve one person owing the other. The idea of thanks, however, seems quite different from the other definitions of ho\u2019da\u2019ah<\/i>. When we admit to a wrong or a debt, the focus seems to be on us and the fact that we owe them, but when we thank someone we acknowledge the other party and what they did for us \u2013 we put the focus on them.[1]<\/a>
\nThis apparent contradiction in meaning really stands out in light of the Midrash\u2019s use of the two meanings of the word ho\u2019da\u2019ah<\/i>. Bereishis<\/i> Rabbah<\/i> tells us that:
\nBecause [our matriarch Leah] was modah in thanks, she had a son who was modeh, as the pasuk says \u201cVa\u2019yaker Yehudah, And Yehudah recognized\/admitted.\u201d[2]<\/b><\/a> And in turn she merited having David HaMelech as her offspring, who also thanked Hashem: \u201cHodu La\u2019Shem ki tov, ki l\u2019olam chasdo, Thank Hashem for He is good, His kindness is forever.\u201d<\/i>
\nSurely the principle of middah k\u2019neged middah<\/i>, which tells us that good deeds are rewarded in turn, is not fulfilled with a mere play on words! And being the great-grandmother of the redeemer of Israel is quite a prize for saying \u201cThanks.\u201d What is this telling us?
\nThere are no coincidences in the holy tongue. What is the common denominator between these seemingly disparate concepts? How can they be contained within the same word?<\/p>\n

Torah Gratitude<\/h2>\n

Chazal<\/i> tell us that the essence of a word can always be gleaned by its first reference in the Torah. When we look to the source, we will find the deep essence of the word ho\u2019da\u2019ah<\/i>.
\nThe gemora<\/i> in Brachos<\/i> 7b, recounts the first time that anyone thanked Hashem:
\nRabbi Shimon Ben Yochai said, \u201cFrom the day that Hashem created His world there was no man who thanked Hashem until Leah came and thanked him. As the verse states \u2018This time I will thank Hashem.\u2019 (Bereishis 29)\u201d[3]<\/b><\/a><\/i>
\nThe Iyun Ya\u2019akov<\/i> explains that when Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai said \u201cno man that thanked Hashem,\u201d he was actually contrasting Leah with Adam HaRishon, the first man. Adam could have thanked Hashem for his wife and acknowledged the good \u2013 \u201cit is not good for man to live alone\u201d \u2013 instead he was a kafui tov<\/i>, an ingrate (lit. one who denies good) who denied his benefactor.
\nBereish Rabbah, commenting on the pasuk<\/i> \u201cThe woman which you gave\u2026\u201d further describes the incident:
\nHashem knocked on the pitchers of four men, and found the pitchers filled with urine. They were: Adam, Kayin, Bilaam, Chezkiyahu. Adam said \u201cThe woman which you gave me,\u201d Kayin said \u201c\u2026.\u201d Bilaam said \u201c\u2026.\u201d And Chezkiyahu \u201c\u2026.\u201d.<\/i>
\nAll of these men were found at fault for not owning up to their behavior. The Pirush Maharzu<\/i> on the Midrash emphasizes this in regards to Adam:
\nAdam\u2019s foolishness was in that he should have said \u201cI sinned.\u201d He instead excused himself as if he was not at fault, and he further denied her goodness by saying there is only bad in her, not good.<\/i>
\nWhen we analyze the Midrash we come to an amazing conclusion: Adam\u2019s main sin was not in eating the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge \u2013 his real sin was not admitting what he had done, and not admitting the good Hashem did for Adam in giving him his wife Chava. If Adam would have past his test, he could have entered Olam HaBa<\/i> without the need for a six thousand year world cycle. Something in the admission of a wrong and giving gratitude for benefit received is vital to man\u2019s very mission \u2013 both of these are equally necessary and obviously connected.
\nAgain, how so? And what is so crucial about admitting guilt and giving thanks? In light of the Midrash and the Maharzu<\/i>, they fulfill the very purpose of the world!<\/p>\n

See the exciting continuation in Part II<\/a> !!
<\/p>\n
\n
[1]<\/a> It is also possible to ask what the subtle difference is between hoda\u2019ah<\/i>, and hakaras ha\u2019tov<\/i> \u2013 the trait of recognizing the good one has received.<\/div>\n
[2]<\/a> He recognized the cloak and staff that Tamar sent him as his own, and he admitted what he had done.<\/div>\n
[3]<\/a> The obvious question here is how it is possible that none of the tzaddim<\/i> up until now thanked Hashem. (Adam HaRishon wrote Mizmor Shir Yayom HaShabbos<\/i>!) An answer I particularly enjoy is the Daas Sofer\u2019s: Of course many people thanked Hashem, but Leah was the first give herself a constant reminder of her gratitude. He reads the verse as follows: \u201cHa pa\u2019am odeh es Hashem?<\/i>, Only<\/i> this time will I thank Hashem? This is why she named her son Yehudah, for the root ho\u2019da\u2019ah<\/i>, to remind herself to always thank Hashem.)<\/p>\n

Big Ideas<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I’ve mentioned that I’m in a course that teaches using Torah principles in counseling and couching. My coaching buddy “Medium sized Mike,” has been encouraging me to go forward on my writing projects. One of them was a little pamphlet I’d like to publish on Ho’da’ah. It’s based on a talk I gave at a … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Ho'da'ah – Gratitude – Saving the World, Part 1”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[19,20,41],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":103,"url":"https:\/\/growingupwithtorah.shmuelelbinger.com\/index.php\/2013\/04\/22\/attitude-of-gratitude\/","url_meta":{"origin":208,"position":0},"title":"Attitude of Gratitude","date":"April 22, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm still in the middle of writing my first post. I hope this doesn't die before it gets off the ground. The whole point of this is so that I'll write my ideas while they are fresh, and I won't forget them. This would definitely help me, and maybe others\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":213,"url":"https:\/\/growingupwithtorah.shmuelelbinger.com\/index.php\/2013\/07\/28\/hodaah-gratitude-saving-the-world-part-3\/","url_meta":{"origin":208,"position":1},"title":"Ho\u2019da\u2019ah \u2013 Gratitude \u2013 Saving the World, Part 3","date":"July 28, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"The final exciting episode! The Tricky Ho\u2019da\u2019ah Connection The ho\u2019da\u2019ah \u2013 that\u2019s how we complete the circuit. We have to take what we receive, acknowledging our prior lack, and say thank you. And then we are doing for Him. The gemora in Kedushin lays down the halachic precedent for this\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":211,"url":"https:\/\/growingupwithtorah.shmuelelbinger.com\/index.php\/2013\/07\/28\/hodaah-gratitude-saving-the-world-part-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":208,"position":2},"title":"Ho\u2019da\u2019ah \u2013 Gratitude \u2013 Saving the World, Part 2","date":"July 28, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Here's the second installment of the last exciting article: What are We Missing? The secret is this: The true nature of ho\u2019da\u2019ah and the connection between admission and gratitude, is the recognition of personal chisaron, deficiency and imperfection. It is taking ownership of what one is missing. Both thanks and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":56,"url":"https:\/\/growingupwithtorah.shmuelelbinger.com\/index.php\/2013\/04\/07\/tziur-bdibbur-program-tentative\/","url_meta":{"origin":208,"position":3},"title":"Tziur B'Dibbur Program – tentative","date":"April 7, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Let me know what you think, please! What would work for you? You have to read the Aley Zayit post first... The Tziur B\u2019dibur \u201cMussar\u201d program 1.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 First: Read the intro to the book Aley Zayis B\u2019fihah for the basic idea behind this, and eitzahs to work with. Every day,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Mussar Visualization Book"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":164,"url":"https:\/\/growingupwithtorah.shmuelelbinger.com\/index.php\/2013\/07\/07\/a-need-to-be-negative\/","url_meta":{"origin":208,"position":4},"title":"A Need to be Negative","date":"July 7, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm starting to see a pattern here. Recently I realized that my \"constructive criticism\" is missing on the constructive side. Please bear with the\u00a0 kind of personal nature of this post - you'll get your profound Torah wisdom at the end, I promise (hope). I guess you can skip if\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/growingupwithtorah.shmuelelbinger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/Mashiach-Painting-2-300x218.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":120,"url":"https:\/\/growingupwithtorah.shmuelelbinger.com\/index.php\/2013\/04\/30\/raising-up-our-intent\/","url_meta":{"origin":208,"position":5},"title":"A Happy Wife a Happy Life – Making it L'shmah","date":"April 30, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"I wish I remembered how this came to me, but I recently had a great insight worth sharing. I think I was learning a Rambam from Hilchos Yesodei HaTorah for my MJI class. It's about l'shmah, relationships, and growing up. 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