Dear all,
My Grandma Anne used to begin every single morning with the words, “Modah Ani L’fanecha — Thank You, God.”
Long before I understood Hebrew, I understood her intention. She taught me—without ever sitting me down for a lesson—what it means to greet each new day as a gift, and to approach each morning as an invitation to choose goodness.
As I’ve grown older, her simple practice has become one of my deepest sources of grounding. No matter what is unfolding in the world around us—whether the news feels heavy or our personal lives feel uncertain—I return to her wisdom.
I remind myself to give thanks for the day in front of me. To give thanks for the chances I am given. And to give thanks for something even more fundamental: the very capacity to feel gratitude at all.
On this Thanksgiving Day, may we each take a moment in time to pause, to breathe, to take honest inventory of our lives, and to offer gratitude for the quiet miracle of simply being here.
Ron, Maya, and Eli join me in wishing you and all you love a very happy Thanksgiving,
With love and shalom,
Rabbi Zachary R. Shapiro
