BS’D
Thanking for what’s not broken
When someone is sick, we automatically pray and hope for their (or our own) speedy recovery. When health is not 100%, we don’t take it for granted and recognize how much we want everything to be working normally. The same is true for more trivial things: when the washing machine or the car breaks, we instantly feel how much we depend on these things, and how much easier they make our lives.
What if we didn’t wait till these things broke in order to appreciate? What if we felt the gratitude for our health, when we were healthy? What if we appreciated what a helpful blessing it is to have a washing machine or a car when these things are actually working normally.
There is a special blessing in Judaism to make after each time a person uses the bathroom. When I first learned about this, I thought it seemed a bit strange. However, upon deeper exploration, I have come to appreciate the message of this blessing. Giving thanks that all the complex and intricate parts of our body are functioning correctly – that every tube that is meant to be open is open, and every cavity that is meant to be closed is closed – is a simple, yet profound, message of gratitude. Let’s feel grateful for the things that are working in our lives – and not wait until something is broken to appreciate it.
By Yael Zvia Bauer
