You may think that gratitude is simply a nice midah. But it’s so much more than that. Gratitude is the essence of a yid.
7:12 Rashi says that a korban toda is a (shelamim) peace offering and it’s brought for a miracle that was done for a person – one who traveled across the ocean, one who was let out of prison, a sick person who recovered and one who traveled across the desert. One who brought a korban toda had just one night and a day to consume this korban. Asks the Abarbanel, why is this shelamim different from other shelamim, which a person normally has two days and a night to eat it?
He answers that this to ensure that one who brings a korban toda should publicize his miracle. He knows that he has to finish eating this animal in one day’s time, and so he will have to invite his friends and neighbors to help consume it. Obviously, they will ask him what is this all about? And so he will tell over the miracle that Hashem did for him. However, if he would have had two days and one night like a regular shelamim, he wouldn’t have to invite more people because he has more time to eat it on his own.
Many years after shemoneh esrei was established, Chazal added the tefilla of Modim D’rabanan which is said by the congregation while the chazan repeats Modim. Why by all the brachos of shemone esrei, it’s enough for us to listen to the chazan repeat them but specifically by this bracha it’s not enough for us to listen to the chazan? Why must we say out own Modim?
Rav Chaim Friedlander (Sifsei Chaim – page 266) brings the Avudraham (page 115) that when the chazan comes to Modim, everyone bows and says thanks to Hashem. It’s not proper for a slave to thank his master through a messenger. You must do it on your own.
The word modim means two things: Firstly, that we recognize that you are Hashem who does good for us and we accept upon ourselves the yoke of Your malchus, and secondly, we give to You thanks.
According to the first understanding that Modim means that we recognize that Hashem is our master, this thanks can’t be done by a messenger since everyone has to be mekabel ol malchus shomayim on his own. If it’s done through a messenger, that’s not a complete acceptance because the person can always say that he never sent the message. When the chazan says Modim, which means hoda’ah in malchus Hashem and kabolas ol, it’s possible that one of the congregants will say in his heart “I didn’t send you up that you should be mekabel in my name ol malchus, I don’t agree to this”. That’s why we have to say it on our own. But the rest of shemone esrei where we request different things, that can be done through a messenger since these requests are things everyone wants and no one will contradict and say “I didn’t send you”.
According to the second understanding of the word Modim, which means giving thanks, this also can’t be done with a messenger because thanks is an expression from the heart. Only I can express the thanks that I am feeling. We each have different feelings, and so nobody can express my feelings of thanks instead of me. I can’t use a shaliach for that, so I must say the Modim D’rabanan myself.
Rav Elyashiv once had to have a surgery in America. After everything went well, he asked someone to teach him how to say “thank you” in English. And he explained that an expression of thanks can’t be done through a messenger; you must do it yourself.
Rav Wolbe says (Alei Shor vol 2 – page 285) that every morning we say “kol zeman she’haneshama b’kirbi modeh ani lifanecha” – as long as our neshama is inside of us, we will thank Hashem. All our life, the first word that we say when we wake up is “Mode ani li’fanecha” I thank You, Hashem. Hakaras hatov is not just a good midah – it’s a priority as long as we live!
Our whole life there is a chiyuv for us to thank Hashem in addition to all the shiros v’tishbachos that David Hamelech composed. It sounds like we all have to mechaber our own sefer tehilim.
Rav Asher Druk tells a story that happened in Rechovot. Someone in his shul had a sickness in his eyes. The doctors said that in a short time it seems that he will be blind in both of his eyes. He found out that in America there is a professor who is an expert in this field, but charged a lot of money. What won’t one do to save his eyesight? He travelled to America. However, the professor told him that he would have to operate and remove one eye and if not, it can danger the other eye. In short, he realized that he needed a tremendous amount of rachmei shomayim not to become blind. As soon as he took leave of the doctor, he went to the closest shul and walked over to the aron hakodesh. He broke down crying like a small child and said, “Hashem, I want to ask You for forgiveness... For fifty years you gave me eyes and I never thanked You properly”. And he started to thank Hashem from the bottom of his heart.
After three hours of crying and thanking Hashem, he returned to the professor and asked to retake the tests. The doctor agreed and returned in shock. “How is it possible”, he asked, “these eyes are not the same eyes that I saw a few hours ago!”
The bottom-line is that when we thank Hashem, we open up the gates of blessings. There is so much to be grateful for, and the more you seek, the more you’ll find. Fill your Modim with meaning and gratitude, contemplate the countless blessings that are in your life. You will become a happier person as you focus on chasdei Hashem, and at the same time you will merit to receive even more miracles.
