Our Sages of blessed memory, taught us that the trait of gratitude is not reserved solely for our relationships with mankind, but it should manifest itself also in our relationship with our Creator!

When a person is appreciative of the kindnesses that the Master of the World showers upon him, he realizes that his whole life and everything that happens to him depends on G-d, and he thus is indebted to Him! He feels obligated to do what G-d expects from him, to follow His commands, and to subjugate himself to G-d’s will.    

However, what should the person who finds this difficult do? In truth, he cannot be grateful if he does not feel indebted. He is ungrateful. He will find all sorts of excuses and arguments, and the options are endless for all sorts of theories based on ingratitude. He prefers to be a monkey, a purposeless creature who lives in a universe created by a cosmic explosion, anything rather than acknowledging the fact that he is indebted and thus dependant on the Creator of the World and obligated to do His will!

The following is a story of a rich person who adopted a very young child, an orphan of both father and mother. He brought him up as though it was his own child, provided for all his needs generously and showered him with kindness. The young boy got used to the comforts of his situation and couldn’t imagine the extent of the generosity to which he was a recipient. At times, he even despised the generosity and would made excessive demands…

One day, a poor person turned up at the rich man's house asking for charity. The rich man took pity on him. He invited him inside and gave him food and a place to sleep. When he was about to leave, the rich man gave him money and provisions for the way. The poor man could not stop thanking him, and for every mouthful of food, he was full of praises, blessings and thanks.The lady of the house noticed this and wondered: 'Why is it that this poor man who only ate and slept here once, does not stop thanking and praising us, whereas this young orphan, for whom we do so much day and night, does not treat us with due respect?'

Her husband told her: 'Don’t worry, in a few days you will see that the situation will be entirely different.' The rich man approached the young boy and said: 'You know that you are not our real son. When you were little, we took pity upon you, and we brought you into our home. However, we are now getting older, and we can see that, thank G-d, you are capable of managing on your own. Please, pack your suitcase, take leave of us, and start building your own life.'

The young boy didn’t know what to do. In total shock, he packed a few belongings, took provisions for his journey and left. He didn’t know who to turn to and where to go. He walked for a long time, until he eventually sat down on a bench. There he ate a small snack and fell asleep. An icy wind blew on him all night long, and fear and worry woke him up. He wandered for one day, then two, three and his heart was filled with sadness and anxiety.

By then, the rich man came to meet him and said: 'My dear son, I see that you are finding it hard to manage on your own. I have decided to bring you back to our home...' The young boy was delighted. He came back and it was not long before he praised his benefactors for the goodness done to him. After each mouthful that he swallowed he was full of blessings and praises. For every action done in his favor, for any effort on his behalf, he was sure to thank. The rich man's wife was surprised. What had caused this change in behavior? Where had the young boy been? Had he received a crash course on the importance of appreciation?

Why are we called 'Jew' (Yehudi in Hebrew)? The root of this word stems from the word 'gratitude' (Hodaah in Hebrew). This is because a Jew recognizes and is grateful to the Creator of the World for His infinite kindnesses. This is the foundation of Judaism.