Vayetzei (Genesis 28 - 32) GOOD MORNING! This weekend is known, at least in the United States, as Thanksgiving Weekend. Remarkably, some 96% of Americans gather with their families to celebrate the holiday and nearly 88% of Americans celebrate it by eating turkey (about 46 million turkeys are consumed on Thanksgiving!). Even though family gatherings are usually a good thing, on Thanksgiving it seems to be inevitable that you will sit across the table from an older couple smiling vacantly at you while you both rack your brains to figure out exactly how you might be related. Of course, gathering with extended family is sometimes a mixed blessing. Piling multi-generational families into a confined space often leads to heated political or philosophical arguments, some tense moments, and the requisite hurt feelings. Additionally, those with young children are not overly enthralled by the parenting advice they receive from relatives whom they only see once or twice a year. Thus, for many, Thanksgiving is the time when they are reminded why they live thousands of miles away from their family. Unfortunately, many families miss the point of this holiday, which is to “give thanks” for the blessings and good in our lives. This is particularly important this year. Ever since the horrors of October 7th, a dark cloud has been hovering over Jewish communities worldwide. Aside from the actual existential threats that have been made against Jews, there is a palpable sadness and an ongoing sorrow for all that transpired on that day and since. Even worse, the continuing threats to the lives of those who were kidnapped along with those who are now fighting the murderous Hamas animals in Gaza, casts a long and very dark shadow that overwhelms the lives of sensitive and caring people all over the world. I have been writing this column for four years now. Regular readers of the Shabbat Shalom Fax of Life know that, for the most part, I try to include some jokes or humorous stories every week to drive home the points that I raise. But it’s been a struggle for the last six weeks and I have been neither in the mood nor in a humorous frame of mind. I hope and pray that my generally sunny disposition will return soon, though I fear it will take a very long time for me to feel “normal” again, and I suspect many of you feel the same. Still, we must all soldier on. Whether or not one celebrates Thanksgiving, everyone must internalize the message of Thanksgiving. Giving thanks and having gratitude is a tenet and a core value of Judaism; perhaps the value of the highest order. As I have mentioned before, those who believe in a theocentric universe know that there is no such thing as coincidences and there is a strong connection between Thanksgiving and this week’s Torah reading. In fact, it is particularly related to this week’s Torah portion. This week’s Torah reading relates the origins of the tribes of the Jewish nation. The Torah discusses each one of Jacob’s children, who gave birth to each one, their birth order, and the reasons behind the names they were given. It’s important to note that the very name “Jew” – which comes from the biblical name Judah – is a derivation of the word for “thank you.” Judah was one of the original twelve tribes and first appears in this week’s Torah reading. His mother Leah named him as an expression of her gratitude to God (see Genesis 29:35 and Rashi’s comments there). In Hebrew the word for thanks is “todah,” which is derived from the same root word as the name Judah. Unsurprisingly, according to Jewish tradition, the very first thought that we are to have in the morning is one of gratitude. This is articulated by the first prayer that we are enjoined to utter upon waking up every morning – the short prayer known as Modeh Ani: “I gratefully thank you O living and eternal King, for having restored my soul within me with compassion […].” In this vein, I decided to compile a list of things for which I think we all need to be thankful, and specifically as they relate to the tragic and horrific events of October 7th. Here are my personal “Top Five.” | 
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