Chanuka: Understanding Why We Praise Hashem

“It is good to thank Hashem and to sing praise to Your name,” declares King David, the sweet singer of Israel, in Tehillim 92. 

For the duration of Chanuka, there is a custom to say Hallel every day after Shacharit, to praise Hashem for the tremendous miracles that He wrought for us in the days when the Maccabim waged war against their Greek oppressors. We say the full Hallel as opposed to Rosh Chodesh or Chol Hamoed when the abridged Hallel is recited. 

Additionally, the tefillah of ‘Al hanissim’ is inserted in both the Shemona Esrei and the Birkat hamazon. In this paragraph, we thank and praise Hashem for the defeat of our Greek enemies. We begin by thanking Hashem for vanquishing the mighty Greek army which far outnumbered the small group of Kohanim against whom they fought. We continue by praising Hashem for saving us from the hands of willful sinners – the vile and immoral Greeks who sought to defile every Jewish bride before she lived with her husband. In this prayer of thanks, we acknowledge that our salvation was miraculous and brought upon us in a G-dly manner. This demonstrates that along with lighting the menorah and eating delicious donuts, thanking Hashem plays a prominent part in our celebration of Chanukah.

Why Praise Hashem?

Why is it important to praise and thank Hashem, and from where do we learn about this obligation?

Thanking G-d for his beneficence is nothing new to the Jewish people. Our very name –  Yehudim contains the essence of our obligation to praise and laud Hashem. Our Rabbis question why we are called Yehudim – originating from the tribe of Yehudah – instead of being called after any of the other 11 tribes. Why not call the Jewish people ‘Reuvainim’ or ‘Shimonim’? What was so special and unique about Yehudah that the Jewish nation should be named after him for posterity? Our Rabbis offer a beautiful explanation. It is because it is the duty of a Jew to praise Hashem at all times and in all situations. This is what sets a Jew apart from the other nations of the world – his ability to praise Hashem during happy times as well as on dark days.

Yehudah was the fourth son of our matriarch Leah. Yaakov had four wives and it was expected that each one would mother three tribes, for a total of the 12 shevatim. These would be the roots of the Jewish nation upon which Klal Yisrael would be built. When Leah gave birth to a fourth son, she realized that she had received more than her share. Acknowledging this divine gift she proclaimed, “This time I will thank Hashem, therefore she called his name Yehudah.” This then explains the obligation of a Jew to thank his Creator. When one receives more than his due, he is obligated to thank and praise Hashem for His kindness. In truth, we don’t deserve anything at all and whatever we have is truly a gift from G-d. It is therefore incumbent upon a Jew to thank Hashem for anything and everything as it is all a gift bestowed upon us from our loving Father. Hashem loves the Jewish people with a boundless love and therefore He lavishes many wonderful gifts upon us. From the sunshine that warms us, to the wind that blows through our hair, to the many beautiful trees swaying in the breeze, all of these wonders of creation are God’s gifts to His beloved children. When one begins thinking of the good that Hashem has blessed him with and starts articulating his gratitude, he will be overwhelmed by his many blessings and realize that he can never possibly thank Hashem enough. 

The Shulchan Aruch mandates that a person must thank Hashem not only for the good in his life but also for the bad! How can one understand this seemingly incomprehensible Jewish law? By thanking Hashem for ‘bad’ things we assert our belief that in truth, Hashem is all good and that which appears bad is beneficial to man

The obligation of thanking Hashem is so crucial that it is the first thing a person does upon awakening. The first Tefilla on the lips of a Jew, when he opens his eyes each morning, is the prayer of ‘modeh ani.’ We start our day by thanking Hashem for returning our souls to us and giving us the gift of another day of life. Lord Rabbi Jonathan Sacks z”l comments on this, “A Jew thanks before he thinks.” Before even beginning our morning routine we thank Hashem for His goodness and kindness. This tefilla of gratitude is so important that it takes precedence over other daily activities. Once we have acknowledged our thankfulness to our Creator, we can continue with our daily routine.

The Shulchan Aruch mandates that a person must thank Hashem not only for the good in his life but also for the bad! How can one understand this seemingly incomprehensible Jewish law? By thanking Hashem for ‘bad’ things we assert our belief that in truth, Hashem is all good and that which appears bad is beneficial to man. Our vision is myopic and thus we don’t see the full picture of Hashem’s divine management of the world. Were we to see how good suffering is for us, we would rejoice in it and request more of it from Hashem. 

The following true story from Rav Shalom Arush demonstrates the tremendous power that gratitude unleashes. There was a young man who had been seeking his soul mate for several years. He went on dates, consulted with Rabbis, and sought the advice of shadchanim. However, the years went by and he was still single. One day he stumbled across the book called “Say thank you and see miracles” written by Rav Arush about the power of gratitude. He decided to implement the strategies in the book and began to wholeheartedly thank Hashem for all the blessings in his life. Having done this, he felt a love and closeness to Hashem that he had never experienced before. Soon after, this man met his future wife. They got married and are now blessed with a son. Truly, how great is the strength and power of gratitude to G-d! 

This Chanuka, as we joyfully sing Hallel, let us reflect on the miracles of Chanuka as well as the many kindnesses and benefits that Hashem bestows upon all of us, each and every day of our lives.