Yesterday a young man came to the Synagogue to make the blessing of thanksgiving – Hagomel.
(Perfect timing for this discussion as this week’s Parsha Tzav is where the thanksgiving sacrifice of Todah - the forerunner to the Hagomel blessing is taught). After the first few words he choked up with tearful emotion and struggled to get the remaining words of the blessing out of his mouth. It was a raw and powerful moment. I was standing right next to him as the Torah reader, and I found my eyes filling up with tears of emotion. The other members of the minyan all stood reflectively. It was an intense moment. The Hagomel blessing is made reminiscent of the sacrifice that was brought as a thanksgiving for being saved from a life and death situation. These days, we most commonly say it after overseas travel, which means that in a place like Thailand, which hosts so many travelers, people are constantly saying this blessing. Sometimes at one Torah reading we can have multiple Hagomel blessings being recited. Usually, this blessing is said without extraordinary emotion. I can only speculate as to why the young man who made the blessings yesterday was so full of emotion. What near-death experience had he been rescued from? I do not know, he didn’t share any background. I was envious of this young man’s emotionally laden prayer. (Envy of someone else’s good behavior is encouraged by the Torah unlike envy of someone’s material possessions which is the tenth of the Ten Commandments) This is what true prayer should look like. The words of the Baal Shem Tov came to my mind. It is a "great miracle" and a profound act of Divine mercy that a person remains alive after intense prayer. When one prays with proper Kavana and intensity, the emotional feeling of desire to be one with G-d could lead to enrapturement. Literally the soul could fly back to its source of oneness with G-d leaving the person lifeless. Hashem wants us to live life in this physical world, so he miraculously keeps us alive even if our feelings of desire to cleave inseparably from G-d are overwhelming. Giving thanks to Hashem ought to be deeply meaningful. One of the challenges we face in life is the fact that we are never totally problem free even as we are blessed in an exceptional and overwhelming way. For example, one may have been blessed with a new baby, the greatest gift possible. At the same time there may be some serious difficulties like not having enough money to support the family. If you just hear the person complaining about not having enough income, you may think that their life is full of difficulty. On the other hand, if you hear that they just had another healthy child, you recognize that their life is also so blessed. Yet at the same time the money issue is a real issue. Competing emotions. The Torah teaches us to thank Hashem for the blessings. Even as we cry out and pray for salvation from the problems. Israel is under attack right now. Our hearts, minds, prayers and mitzvahs are dedicated to our brothers and sisters in Israel. Millions of citizens are running back and forth to shelters as the enemy fires ballistic missiles and cluster bombs. At the same time the Jewish people are being showered with G-d’s openly miraculous protection. Thank G-d most of the incoming missiles are intercepted by the Israeli army defense system. Alas, some missiles have made their way through taking innocent lives and wreaking havoc. Even within the devastation there are miracles bearing the unmistakable markings of being direct protection from G-d to His people in His holy land of Israel, the land on which the eyes of G-d are focused at all times. An example from Monday of this week: An Iranian ballistic missile carrying hundreds of kilos of explosives hit a Tel Aviv apartment building directly on Monday night. Despite scenes of “widespread destruction after the missile impact left a large crater alongside mangled buildings and vehicles at the scene of the attack,” only four people were lightly injured, none of them requiring hospitalization. (Times of Israel, March 24, 2026). If you read the in-depth reports coming out of Israel you will see that together with the unbearable devastation, there are openly Divine miracles. This week’s Torah reading about Todah – thanksgiving reminds us to sing out to Hashem in song and praise for the miracles He does. Just as we pour out our hearts in emotional prayer that He save us from our enemies. Let us remember to also give thanks to Hashem for the blessings in our personal lives. And there are myriads of blessings. If one pays attention ones heart is full of song and thanksgiving to Almighty G-d. On this Sunday we give thanksgiving to Hashem for the blessing our generation with the birth of the Rebbe on Nissan 11 in 1902. Click here for more about the Rebbe and his absolute Ahavat Yisrael the cornerstone of his mission to reach out with love to every Jew in every corner of the globe with the Mitvzah Campaign. The Rebbe and his enduring vision continue to guide and shepherd our generation as we inch ever closer to the final Redemption with the coming of Mashiach. Prepare for inner liberation this Pesach by visiting some of the links below. The Rebbe’s teaching on Postivity teach us how to view life through the uplifting and energy generating lens of positivity. The Rebbe’s teachings on Purpose give a practical path to living a meaningful and purposeful life even as modernity surrounds us from all sides. The Rebbe’s pronouncement that Mashiach and Geula-Redemption are imminent and immediate fuels our deeds, our aspirations and our yearning for the greatest moment of history – the coming of Mashiach! Best wishes for continued success in all your preparations for Pesach. See below to sell chametz, order matzah, reserve your spot at a Pesach Seder. Shabbat Shalom Rabbi Yosef Kantor
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