When families get together to give thanks, there is a high probability that three topics will come up in conversation: health, wealth, and G-d.
We all want to be healthy and wealthy for reasons that need no explanation. We want G-d to be there for us when we need to call on Him, so we give Him appropriate mention as well. However, we should be asking ourselves, is that really what is asked of us?
Let us take a lesson from this week’s Torah portion and Jacob’s life.
During Jacob’s travels he overcame large obstacles in life; as examples, his brother Esau and his uncle Lavan tried to swindle him at every turn. Yet he outsmarted them and at a later point in his life, he finally felt “complete” in life.
He had his health in his old age. It may be true that he had been hurt, but he healed. However, true healing means understanding that even when he was hurt, that pain was part of his growth. This appreciation only comes with age, and that is why only in old age could he say that he was “complete.”
He also had wealth. It is true that he gave away much of his wealth to his brother in order to save his life, and for this he could hold a grudge, yet he didn’t. He saw the bigger picture. He understood that all of his wealth was a gift from G-d, so even if he had to give away part of it, it was never meant to be his to begin with.
Jacob also had strong faith in G-d, and not the kind where he turned to G-d only when in need.
Jacob didn’t live the kind of life where he kept G-d in the sanctuary and kept his personal life, personal. Jacob realized that having faith in G-d meant incorporating being Jewish into everything that one does. Every action, whether in business or preparing a turkey for Thanksgiving, can be, and should be, a G-dly action.
Jacob understood this and that is why he said that even though he was not able to put in hours of actual Torah study, he did incorporate the teachings of the Torah in everything that he did.
The lesson for us is clear. We, too, have to see all of our trials and tribulations as part of our growth; see our charity, or charitable acts, not as a cost but as the right thing to do; and incorporate our Jewishness into everything that we do.