Moses told the Jewish people that the food that sustained the Jews in the desert, manna, would not fall on Shabbat. However, to try to stir ruckus amongst the Jews and instill a sense of doubt in Moses’s authority and credibility, two Jews scattered manna at sunrise on Shabbat. Miraculously, birds came and ate all of it so that not a single parcel of manna was left when the Jewish people woke up. As a result of this story, some have the custom of feeding birds before Shabbat of this week’s Torah portion as a token of gratitude for averting a potentially disastrous situation.

However, there is a question as to why. Birds love eating bread, especially savory manna that the Torah describes tasting like dough fried in honey. Why then would we show gratitude to the birds? They did not do anything beyond their nature to help us, and in fact benefited by getting to eat delicious mon.

Lesson:

There is a beautiful lesson we can all glean in gratitude. Regardless of the intention of the giver, if we reaped any benefit, we are obligated to not only feel, but act indebted and appreciative.

There is an idea that even if a coin falls out of someone’s pocket unbeknownst to them, and someone finds it and uses it, it is as if that person gave tzedakah, charity. How much more so do we need to feel grateful to those who intentionally helped us! Often times, it is easy to overlook little acts by those closest to us, especially when we feel as if we are constantly giving of ourselves. However, it is incumbent upon all of us to show gratitude for even small acts: when our two-year-old brings us tissues when we sneeze, when our wife has a warm dinner waiting for you when you get home, when our husband takes out the trash. Not only do we benefit from becoming more grateful people, but positive encouragement makes those around us want to help even more. It’s a win – win situation!

Exercise: Thank someone for something you would have normally overlooked. It could be as simple as thanking the cashier while checking out or calling someone to let them know how much they have impacted your life.