Maggid: Count your blessings

שואלים ודורשים 30 יום: A daily study of Mishna for the Jewish holidays

As Bnei Yisrael exited Mitzrayim, they were chased from behind by the Mitzrim. Even though Paraoh agreed to let Bnei Yisrael go, he changed his mind and gathered his entire military to run after them. As the Mitzrim started getting closer, Bnei Yisrael cry out to Hashem out of fear and beg for him to save them. Moshe calms everybody down by saying that they don’t have to even raise a finger in order to defeat the Mitzrim, but rather Hashem will take care of it Himself. Hashem tells Moshe that Moshe can carry out this salvation on his own and instructs him to hold up his staff and split the sea so that Bnei Yisrael can walk on dry land. This was The most open miracle in the history of the world! Not only was this event awe inspiring to see, but it was also a very spiritual moment.

The Michilta D’Rabbi Yishmael writes: even the lowliest maidservant by the yam suf, the least holy person, saw more than Yishiyahu and Yechezkel ever saw! The moment was so great, that it eclipsed a lifetime of navua from 2 of the greatest Neviim ever! The entire world saw Hashem's power and feared the Jewish people. But yet, Shemos rabbah writes: when Bnei Yisrael saw this open miracle, כֵּיוָן שֶׁיָּרְדוּ לְתוֹךְ הַיָּם הָיָה מָלֵא טִיט שֶׁהָיָה עַד עַכְשָׁו לַח מִן הַמַּיִם וְהָיָה בּוֹ כְּמִין טִיט - and then they went down walking through the yam suf that had a cement-like texture that was, up until then, wet from the water, now had a muddy brick like texture. וְהָיָה אוֹמֵר רְאוּבֵן לְשִׁמְעוֹן, בְּמִצְרַיִם בְּטִיט, וּבַיָּם טִיט. בְּמִצְרַיִם בְּחֹמֶר וּבִלְבֵנִים, וּבַיָּם חֹמֶר מַיִם רַבִּים, הֱוֵי: וַיַּמְרוּ עַל יָם בְּיַם סוּף.- and Reuven said to Shimon (example names) “in Mitzrayim we worked with cement, and this sea is full of cement, and in Mitzrayim we there were bricks, and here there are bricks too.” The hindsight is baffling! Here they are, in the middle of the greatest moment in Jewish history, and they’re kvetching about the ground's softness?

As much as we scoff and laugh at these people’s mixed up priorities, we experience similar things every day. We can receive stellar service and accommodations from everyone around us, without so much as an acknowledgment, let alone a thank you. Then, one thing goes wrong and we lose it: “UGGGGH!!!! Why is everything bad happening to me! This is Soooo annoying! I am having such a bad day! The whole world is against me!”. People will go to 5 star restaurants, eat the best meal of their lives, but when asked about it afterwards, they harp on the negative: “please, who cares if the food was good! They took 20 Minutes to bring the food out! What were they doing back there? Growing their own potatoes?” Not only is a lack of gratitude apparent in extreme cases where people cannot appreciate amazing things, but it is also evident when people complain about day to day things. My father’s assistant, a wonderful person, has the following poster hanging in his office: your HARD JOB is the dream of the UNEMPLOYED, your ANNOYING CHILD is the dream of the infertile, your SMALL HOME is the dream of the HOMELESS, your LITTLE MONEY is the dream of every DEBTOR, your SMILE is the dream of the DEPRESSED, so always THANK GOD for whatever your SITUATION. Every day, when we say the bracha of Modim in Shmoneh esrei, we say: וְעַל נִסֶּֽיךָ שֶׁבְּכָל יוֹם עִמָּֽנוּ וְעַל נִפְלְ֒אוֹתֶֽיךָ וְטוֹבוֹתֶֽיךָ שֶׁבְּ֒כָל עֵת עֶֽרֶב וָבֹֽקֶר וְצָהֳרָֽיִם - and [we are thankful] for your miracles that are with us every day and the wonders and the good during all night, morning, and afternoon. Not only do we thank Hashem for the miracles of Grand proportions, but we also thank Him for the everyday miracles that occur around the clock. Parnasah, health, the ability to breathe, move, go to the bathroom, have a family, the list can literally go on….. Forever! Because of this, it is incumbent (fancy word, means important) upon us to begin an attitude of gratitude to Hashem for all that He gives us in our everyday lives.