One of the advantages of strengthening our emunah and bitachon is the fact that we become accustomed to giving praise and thanks to Hashem.
What is the difference between thanks and praise? Thanks is the basic recognition that goodness has been given to us. If we’ve received something good, we should say thank you. This is just elementary manners.
Giving praise is the next stage. It means detailing our recognition of the goodness that was done to us.
If a person enters a simchah hall and receives a delicious, well-prepared portion, in the first stage there is gratitude; he says thank you for the fact that they served him his food. In the more advanced stage, there is more thanks. He expresses all the details, explains how delicious the food tasted, how crispy the schnitzel was, how the pickles were small and delectable. He says thank you for the cool sweet drinks – both diet and regular, for the clean dishes, for the fine ambience. The baalei simchah greeted the guests with smiles and happy hearts. Thanks to the baalei simchah, who insisted on a band that would make the simchah pleasant with muted music throughout the dinner, so that the chashuveh guests would be able to exchange a few words with each other and would not have to shout, “Speak up, I don’t hear you.” The guest goes down to the smallest details, and the baalei simchah enjoy the fact that there is someone who noticed their efforts.
When we come to praise the Creator of the world, we give a similarly detailed account of our gratitude. Not only do we thank Him for His gifts, we give details of all the wonders of the Creator, how much mercy there is here, what amazing exactness and timing. We tell more and more details that emphasize the greatness of the miracle and of Hashem’s goodness.
Our praise shows that we pay attention to the small details, from our good Father in Shamayim Who does so much for His creations so that it will be best for us, and He waits with longing for this praise, as it says, “He is seated [on] the praises of Yisrael” (Tehillim 22).
Maseches Sotah in the Yerushalmi brings the words of Hillel Hazakein: “Does Hashem need our praise?” Hillel asks. He has hundreds of thousands of malachim who sing to Him on High!
The explanation is that there are two pesukim. The first is about Dovid Hamelech, who is called “the pleasant [composer of] zemiros for Yisrael” (Shmuel II, 23:1). The second pasuk is about Hashem: “He is seated [on] the praises of Yisrael” (Tehillim 22:4).
The mefarshim explain: It is pleasing to Hashem that Klal Yisrael sing His praises. And the Midrash brings (Bereishis Rabbah 48:7) that for every bit of praise that Am Yisrael praise Hashem, He rests His Shechinah upon them and protects them.
These are very exciting words. How much strength is concealed in these words!
A woman, the mainstay of her home, stands there scrubbing pots. She uses this time to thank Hashem and to list in detail all the good that He does for her. For the good food she is zocheh to prepare for the members of the household; for the children – both those who are more successful and those who less successful; for the apartment, which is yet to be enlarged; for her baby’s playful antics; for the babies who have already grown and want so much more; for the miracles Hashem does for His nation; for the miracles we still await.
She stands there and mentions more and more details: How Hashem yisbarach leads her and her home with chessed and rachamim, with attention and love. She gets emotional and tears up. And this moment is an eis ratzon! There in her kitchen the Shechinah is resting!
She then heads to the laundry room and praises Hashem for clothing her and her family; for sending her so many articles of clothing to take care of. She thanks Him for her sons and daughters, for what there is and for the good that is yet to come. There the Shechinah is resting in her laundry room!
The Midrash Shir Hashirim (2:9) explains, “My beloved One is similar to an antelope.” Just as the antelope leaps from one mountain to another, from one valley to another, from one tree to another, from one sukkah to another, from one gate to another, so too Hakadosh Baruch Hu jumps from one shul to another, from one beis medrash to another. Why? In order to bestow blessings on Am Yisrael.
For every bit of praise that Am Yisrael sings to Hakadosh Baruch Hu, He sits among them, as it says, “And You are holy, are seated [on] the praises of Yisrael.”
One should become ecstatic when contemplating these sweet words. “Awesome is Your praise, You Who performs wonders.” The praise of Am Yisrael connects with the praise of the angels, and we, with our praise, give strength to the Heavenly entourage. Hakadosh Baruch Hu waits for every bit of praise from each and every one of us.
May we be zocheh to see Hashem’s chessed always, and to give Him thanks and praise endlessly, as it says (Tehillim 100:4-5), “Give thanks to Him, bless His Name, for Hashem is good, His kindness is forever!”
