December 2022 Newsletter

Rabbi’s Message
Rabbi Meeka Simerly
May we continue to Be, and say our Blessings, Daily
If you look carefully on page 33 in our Siddur, Mishkan Tefila, you’ll find in
tiny letters a wonderful short explanation about a great concept. Rabbi
Samuel E Karff (Z”L) wrote: “Why is it important to pause and count our
blessings? Because of the human temptations to pray only prayers of asking
for something at those times when we are aware of the pain and the
unfulfilled yearnings in our life. We can only begin to accept all of life, and
affirm that life is worth its price if we lift to consciousness all the good in our
lives.”
Throughout the entire Siddur there are numerous prayers and blessings that
help us connect deeply with God’s “godliness,” through the mindset of
gratefulness and gratitude. Blessings that acknowledge our gratitude for our
bodies, and our souls’ return first thing in the morning (p. 32-40); Psalms of
gratitude (pp. 50-55); blessings of gratitude to God for creating our world
with Light and Darkness as its constants; blessings to God for seeing to our
national and personal deliverance from slavery in Mitzrayim, narrow places,
to freedom and wellbeing (pp. 70-73), and so on.
But the Thanksgiving Holiday that we just had, allows us to truly focus on
our families, friends, and the abundance of food we enjoy, each in our own
special and unique unit: whether with friends, our spouse, our pets, our
larger families or community setting, and the list goes on.
What would happen if we could all each implement an “attitude of
gratitude” and turn it into daily practice? This practice does not require us
to spend an hour each day reviewing the goodness in our lives. We don’t
have to sing, read out loud, or even share our innermost private thoughts. It
is so easy to do: we can simply pause for a moment, every day, at some point,
inhale deeply and review in our minds the blessings in our lives. And again,
each of us is so unique, and our life is experienced through our own unique
filters. And if we are ever “stuck,” and aren’t able to remember what we can
be thankful for – our magnificent Siddur, Mishkan Tefila, can help us with a
multitude of ways and reasons to feel grateful.
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