To paraphrase Bob Dylan, “For the seasons they are a’changing.”
Sukkot, the harvest festival, has come and gone. The leaves are falling off the trees even as the temperatures at nighttime flirt with the freezing mark.
And before we know it, Chanukah, the Festival of Lights, which ironically coincides with the shortest days of sunlight of the year, will be with us.
The changing of the seasons is as predictable as the rising and setting of the sun, a never-ending cycle which is a daily reminder of the miracle of creation which we so often take for granted.
Each year, on Simchat Torah, we read once again the compelling story of creation. Whether you accept the text as a literal depiction or consider it as an allegorical description of the beginnings of everything, the reading serves to remind us that a power greater than we can wrap our heads around is responsible for all that we know.
Not only should we recognize that power - however we choose to entitle it - we should feel gratitude on a daily basis for the reality of our existence
And we do, as each morning, we traditionally say “Modeh ani l’fanecha Melech Eil chai v’kayam - I thank you, O everlasting Sovereign and God, for blessing me with another day of life.” These are the first words we recite immediately after waking up. Only after acknowledging the miracle of the great gift of life can we carry on with our daily routine.
No matter the season, no matter the length of sunlight that day, no matter the burdens we carry - and all of us do - we should all take those few seconds each morning to express our thanks for that precious gift of our life.
Try it - you’ll be glad you did!