Our parashah begins with the great meeting and greeting of Yaakov and Esav, an encounter that would the paradigm of all encounters between the Jew and the gentile. The encounter that would teach the Jews throughout the ages how to do the same.
And within this great story, we find myriad life lessons taught between the lines, one of which we will try, b’ezras Hashem, to dwell upon today:
We know that the tefillos of a Yid expressed to HaKadosh Baruch Hu have great power to them; when said sincerely, much blessing can come from such prayers. And we also know that the middah of gratitude and heartfelt hakaras hatov is one that a Jew must try to fulfill all his days....
Yet, we might not be aware of a very powerful truth with regard to that middah of expressing thanks to Hashem Yisbarach — the truth found in our title above — gratitude itself brings a person blessings from above.
For Rav Tuvia Weiss zt’l in Shaarei Tuvia explains that when a person expresses hakaras hatov for a particular blessing that Hashem bestowed upon him, it results in Hashem sending more of that exact blessing in his life!
The amazing proof that Rav Weiss gives is from a pasuk within our parashah: Esav asks Yaakov about the great family behind him, and Yaakov Avinu responds with these words:
(בראשית ל״ב) הילדים אשר חנן אלקים את עבדך
The children that Hashem bestowed favorably upon your servant...
Later, in Parashas Mikeitz, when the brothers brought Binyomin to meet Yosef, Yosef looked at his beloved brother and expressed to him:
אלקים יחנך בני (מג, כט)
Hashem should bestow favorable kindness upon you, my son...
Rashi, in a fascinating explanation of this unique blessing, highlights that Binyomin was not yet born when Yaakov expressed his gratitude about his children, and thus Yosef felt that Binyomin had missed out. Therefore, Yosef used that same language of chanina in bestowing blessing upon Binyomin now.
The obvious question is, in what way did Binyomin miss out, if all Yaakov had done was express gratitude to Hashem for his children?! It comes out, explains Rav Weiss, that we learn from here a very great principle for life: hakaras hatov brings blessing. The children that Yaakov Avinu already had when he met with Esav were blessed with the special favor of chanina specifically because Yaakov thanked Hashem for that. And since Binyomin had missed that blessing, Yosef blessed him with it instead. Yosef expressed that exact language that Yaakov had said — now to Binyomin, in order to fill that which was lacking in Binyomin’s life.
Amazingly, Rav Weiss adds, according to the Chasam Sofer, the reason Dina ended up getting hurt R’l, was because she too was not present when Yaakov expressed this gratitude to Hashem, and thus also missed out on the chanina and special favor that would have come from it, as she was hidden in a box at that time.
Rav Weiss concludes, then, the celebration and avodah of a pidyon haben is an expression and full recognition that children are very gifts from Hashem, causing a surplus of blessing to come upon the child due to that great form of gratitude.
We learn from all the above, that asides from the opportunity of tefillah itself, there is another great way of meriting Hashem endless blessings. And that is through gratitude. The more one thanks, the closer one becomes to Hashem, and so too, the more one will receive as well. Hakaras hatov for children brings blessings specifically upon the children; gratitude for one’s marriage brings blessings there; and each word of every “Thank You” to Hashem will fill one’s life with so much more to thank Him for.... B’Siyata DiShmaya.
