Welcome to Jewish and Joyful Podcast. Thank you so much for having me. I would like to share a quick thought about the importance and power of being b'simcha, of being happy. We know the first word that we say in the morning is Modeh Ani Lefanecha (I thank You before You). Why did we start our whole day, the whole 24 hours, with the word modeh? The word modeh means to thank Hashem. The first word that we say in the morning is “Thank you, Hashem.” Why did the Chachamim (sages) and the Shulchan Aruch (Set Table) make the first word one of thanking Hashem? The answer is that if a person wants to have an awesome day, if a person wants to appreciate how awesome this day is and how many blessings Hashem gives a person, he first has to understand the importance of saying thank you. The more we say thank you, the more we recognize how much Hashem has already given us and how much Hashem is currently giving us. A person who lacks the ability to thank Hashem is not going to be a happy person because he thinks he’s not getting what he needs. He thinks Hashem is not doing good for him, chas veshalom (God forbid). But if you learn the ability to thank Hashem, if you learn the talent and the trade of how to say thank you and be b'simcha, that will make a person a lot more energetic about serving Hashem.
Hashem gives us so much Beracha (blessings) throughout the day. But how many of us really appreciate the Beracha that Hashem gives us? That’s why right away in the morning we start with the word modeh. First thing in the morning, you want to serve Hashem properly. Learn how to thank Hashem. Ela rabotai (Rather, my teachers), thanking Hashem is already coming out of our ears—that whole topic. Thank Hashem, thank Hashem. But if you go through the sefarim of HaKadosh Baruch Hu, if you go through the holy books, all tzaddikim (righteous people) were happy people. All tzaddikim always thank HaKadosh Baruch Hu. No matter what situation they were in, they were such strong tzaddikim, such righteous people; they always, always thank Hashem.
A person who truly loves Hashem knows how to thank Hashem. The Chachamim tell us a person needs to have Ahavat Hashem and yirat shamayim at the same time. Fearing Hashem without loving Hashem is not real fear. And saying that you love Hashem without fearing Hashem is not real love. All the tzaddikim in the world that we know of love Hashem tremendously and always thank Hashem, but that came with extreme fear of Hashem, of yirat shamayim. The more you recognize that Hashem is in front of you, the more you want to thank Him. The less you recognize that Hashem is there, the less you think you need to thank Him. That’s why thanking Hashem is important. Besides that you want to say thank you, it would also build your yirat shamayim; it would also build the awareness that Hashem is really there. Because when you thank HaKadosh Baruch Hu constantly, you remind yourself that He’s there.
The Gemara Menachot (Meal Offerings) tells us that in his time, David HaMelech (King David) had a tremendous plague in the country, and at least 100 men died from this disease every single day. Now David HaMelech, the Gadol HaDor—the biggest rabbi of the generation—wanted to stop this. He said, “Listen, I can’t let 100 men die a day. We have to stop this. Why is Hashem doing this?” See, he got all his advisors together. Now, can you imagine David HaMelech sitting at the front of the table in the palace in Yerushalayim (Jerusalem), with all the Chachamim, the greatest minds, the most righteous people of the time, sitting together around the table, trying to decide: How can we take away this plague? This bad disease? This curse? This plague that’s hitting the Jewish people, that’s killing people? They come out of the meeting. What do they decide? They decide, “We have to thank Hashem more; we have to make more Berachot, more blessings, every single day.” And from there we have the halacha (Jewish law) that a person has to make at least 100 Berachot, 100 blessings, every single day.
David HaMelech made a decision: The reason the disease is happening is that we’re not blessing Hashem enough, we’re not thanking Him enough. Because if we thank Him enough, we will recognize how much He’s with us. And if you recognize how much He’s with you, that will bring yirat shamayim, and that will lead to more mitzvot (commandments) and less sin, and that will lead to happiness, to simchat hachayim. Rabbi David HaMelech, who knew everything—what does he come out of the meeting with? “We need to thank Hashem more, we need more Berachot, and that will bring blessings, and that will stop the curses.” So the first word of the morning is Modeh, to thank Hashem. Thanking Hashem is extremely important. The foundation of Judaism is to thank Hashem, be b'simcha, and be happy—to thank Hashem.