Rabbi Ackerman's Blog
Rabbi David Ackerman
11/24/2009 - Parashat Vayetze & Thanksgiving
More often than not, Biblical names convey meaning. Isaac’s name conveys his mother’s laughter upon learning that she would, at a rather advanced age, conceive and bear a son. And Moses’ name hearkens back to the an act of kindness undertaken by Pharaoh’s daughter as she drew him out of the Nile’s waters and brought him home to raise him.The central narrative of Parashat Vayetze involves the birth and naming of Jacob’s thirteen children, each one receiving a name chosen by her or his mother reflecting the circumstances of birth and maternal hopes for the future. Jacob’s sons, recall, will go on to found the twelve tribes of Israel, and so their names really mean to communicate essential qualities of each tribe’s identity and character.
The verse describing Judah’s birth and naming stands out. Leah gives birth to her and Jacob’s fourth son and offers this explanation of his name: “And she conceived again and bore a son; and she said, "This time I will thank Adonai." Therefore she called his name Judah, and ceased bearing.” [Genesis 29:35]
וַתַּ֨הַר עֹ֜וד וַתֵּ֣לֶד בֵּ֗ן וַתֹּ֙אמֶר֙ הַפַּ֙עַם֙ אֹודֶ֣ה אֶת־יְהוָ֔ה עַל־כֵּ֛ן קָרְאָ֥ה שְׁמֹ֖ו יְהוּדָ֑ה וַֽתַּעֲמֹ֖ד מִלֶּֽדֶת׃
Judah’s name – Yehuda – means “give thanks to God.” And Judah’s name matters deeply since we all descend from him. Judah’s tribe emerges, after a few centuries of Biblical history, as the Jewish people. In Hebrew, we continue to carry his name – Yehudim – identifying ourselves as Judah-ites, or Jews. It follows then, that our overriding vocation as Jews is to adopt a posture of gratitude in our lives. How delicious that Vayetze and Thanksgiving coincide in many years!
An intriguing Talmudic tradition claims that Leah’s act of gratitude is the first of its kind: “Rabbi Yohanan, in the name of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, said: from the beginning of Creation no one came forward to thank the Holy Blessed One until Leah arrived with thanks, as it says in the Torah, ‘This time I will thank Adonai.’” [Bavli Berakhot 7b] Rashi, and many commentators after him, cite Leah’s prophetic abilities as the main motivator for the choice of Judah’s name. In Rashi’s reading, Leah knows that Jacob will have twelve sons, birthed by four different women. With her fourth son, she outdoes herself, bringing one child more than her fair share into the world, a realization that yields abiding gratefulness on her part.
Leah’s impulse to appreciate her good fortune finds echo in the words of many later Jewish thinkers. Bahya ibn Pakuda, for example, the Golden Age of Spain’s leading ethical and pietistic philosopher, puts it frankly and clearly in describing “the obligations of gratitude that we find in human relationships.” Bahya deems it obvious that “if someone helps you, it is your duty to thank him, in accordance with his good intentions.” God, who relates to us only with great kindness and goodness, of course deserves that same kind of gratitude from us. The Midrash insists that “for every breath one takes, one should thank the Blessed Holy One.” [Genesis Rabbah 14:9] Note well: every breath, not once in a while (unless you intend to breathe only every so often). And finally Heschel, who describes “a built-in sense of indebtedness in the consciousness of man, an awareness of owing gratitude, of being called upon at certain moments to reciprocate, to answer, to live in a way that is compatible with the grandeur and mystery of living.”
That’s Judah’s legacy, bequeathed to us as our sacred heritage. Thanksgiving serves as a fitting reminder of it, an annual breather meant to motivate reflection on a daily obligation. A joyful and traffic free Thanksgiving to all.
Previous Posts
03/31/2013 - Pesah and the Language of Longing (Most Recent)02/15/2013 - Rabbi David Hartman z"l
01/18/2013 - MLK Friday Night Welcome
02/07/2013 - Last Shabbat (Yitro)
10/10/2012 - Reflections on Kohelet (Ecclesiastes)
09/27/2012 - Yom Kippur 5773
09/27/2012 - Kol Nidre 5773
09/19/2012 - Rosh Hashanah 1st Day - 5773
09/19/2012 - Rosh Hashanah 2nd Day - 5773
10/19/2011 - Shmini Atzeret and Gilad Shalit
10/11/2011 - Yom Kippur 5772
10/10/2011 - A Yom Kippur Prayer for Israel
10/10/2011 - Kol Nidre 5772
10/02/2011 - Two Rilke Poems for This Week
10/01/2011 - Rosh Hashana 5772 Day Two
10/01/2011 - Rosh Hashana 5772 Day One
08/11/2011 - Torah and Water
08/08/2011 - Tisha B`Av 5771
05/04/2011 - Israel: In Our Hearts, On Our Minds
04/20/2011 - Pesah 5771
02/25/2011 - Shabbat Vayakhel
11/22/2010 - Thinking About the Big Stuff
11/22/2010 - Varieties of Jewish Families
10/05/2010 - Bashevis Singer on God & Creativity
09/27/2010 - Yom Kippur 5771
09/22/2010 - Kol Nidre 5771
09/22/2010 - Rosh Hashanah First Day 5771
09/16/2010 - Toward Yom Kippur
08/02/2010 - Palestine in 1912
04/09/2010 ספירת העומר Omer Counting
03/27/2010 - Time Out From Pesah Cleaning Reading
01/23/2010 - Shavua Tov - A Prayer for Haiti
01/22/2010 - MLK Unity Service - Shabbat Bo
11/24/2009 - Parashat Vayetze & Thanksgiving (Current display)
10/18/2009 - 30 Tishrei 5770 - Rosh Hodesh Heshvan
10/13/2009 - Rabbi Mordecai Waxman, a Tribute
09/28/2009 - Yom Kippur Sermon 5770
09/27/2009 - Kol Nidre Sermon 5770
09/21/2009 - Rosh Hashanah 2nd Day Sermon 5770
09/21/2009 - Rosh Hashanah First Day Sermon 5770
09/17/2009 - L`shana Tova Tikateivu v`Teihateimu
08/21/2009 - Rosh Hodesh Elul
08/18/2009 - The Torah of Trees
08/14/2009 - Parashat Re`eh
08/05/2009 - Tu B`Av [The 15th of Av]
07/24/2009 - Shabbat Devarim-Hazon
07/17/2009 - Parashat Matot-Masei
07/10/2009 - Parashat Pinchas