Reb Yisroel Salanter zt”l once walked into a diner and asked for a cup of water. After drinking it, the concierge handed him the bill. To his surprise, it was an astronomical price. It made no sense, though. How could a simple cup of water cost so much?
“You’re not simply paying for the water,” replied the concierge. You are paying for the ambience, the service, use of the glass, and finally the water. Rav Yisroel, hearing this, took to heart more than the concierge was telling him.
“When we make the blessing, ‘She’hakol nihiye bid’varo—Everything is according to the word of Hashem,’ reflected Reb Yisroel, the blessing is intended to get us thinking along these lines. Nothing is plain and simple when it comes to the benefits and beneficence Hashem showers upon us in this world.
There are countless upon countless aspects that go into the actions and productions that we often take for granted. But when we consider that a glass of water is not just a glass of water, but encompasses much more, we can begin to appreciate how this too is true of all aspects of life. And then, with that new perspective, the gratitude and appreciation we feel to Hashem for all that He gives us—and even of those things which we don’t even know about—swells to unbounded proportions.”
A Mission to Thank Those Who Make Our Morning Coffee
A.J. Jacobs, a professed atheist, commented that it is a well-circulated notion in today’s world that by focusing on the gratitude one feels for what they have in life, it will increase their happiness. Jacobs assumed this commonly held position, as did many others, to the point that when his family would sit down for a meal, they would thank everyone who was involved in preparing the food. Until one time when Jacobs’ son noted that despite all these thankful statements being shared, none of the benefactors could actually hear it. This got Jacobs’ on a mission to begin thanking everyone who was involved in the making of his morning coffee.
Jacobs spent the next several months traveling around the world, thanking all those involved. He included the trucker who transported the coffee, the workers who laid down the asphalt for the road, architects, biologists, designers, miners, and on and on. His project was called, “Thank 1,000.” Jacobs admitted that he in fact could have gone on more than a thousand.
How to Keep the Spark Going?
On the last day of my first year of marriage, I went to my Rebbe, Rabbi Leibel Resnick, and said, “The day I got engaged, I was elated. Throughout the engagement, wedding, and first year of marriage too, I felt a special spark, a special exhilaration. But now, my first year of marriage is coming to a close. Now what? How do I keep the spark going, how do I keep the momentum going, instead of growing stagnant and complacent?”
He replied very beautifully and simply. “As long as you always remember that everything is a chesed (kindness), that spark will never fade.” With this attitude, when you or your spouse does the laundry, makes dinner, puts the kids to sleep or bathes them, it is all a chesed, and there are always ample opportunities to seize and give and receive appreciation in the marriage.
Our challenge is to see the opportunities before us, along with the moments that are latent for growth, and utilize them for the good, appreciate them, and thank our family, friends, and ultimately Hashem for every minute and thing we have in our life.
Reprinted from the Parashat Vayeshev edition of The “TorahAnyTimes” Newsletter as compiled and edited by Elan Perchik.
