Dear Friends,
In 2025, researchers published one of the largest analyses ever conducted on gratitude, reviewing dozens of studies across cultures and age groups. Their conclusion was remarkably clear: people who intentionally cultivate gratitude experience greater resilience, better mental health, stronger relationships, and higher overall life satisfaction. Gratitude doesn't merely make us feel better—it fundamentally changes the way we perceive reality. The Torah would say: We've known that all along. Long before psychologists began measuring its effects, the Torah prescribed gratitude as an essential spiritual discipline. In Parshas Re'eh, as the Jewish people prepare to enter the Promised Land, the Torah warns that prosperity carries an unexpected danger. Success breeds forgetfulness. Comfort creates the illusion of self-sufficiency: "Kochi v'otzem yadi asah li es hachayil hazeh" ("My strength and the might of my own hand have produced this wealth.") The antidote is surprisingly simple: Birkas Hamazon (Grace After Meals). "You shall eat, be satisfied, and bless Hashem your G-d for the good land that He has given you." Gratitude is not merely good manners; it is the Torah's safeguard against arrogance and spiritual amnesia. As the Sforno explains, we bless G-d "so that you remember that all these blessings came from Him." Modern science teaches that gratitude changes the brain. The Torah teaches something even deeper: gratitude protects the soul. As the Rambam (Maimonides) writes, blessings were instituted "to remember the Creator constantly." Nowhere is this more relevant than in our relationship with the Land of Israel. In an age when Israel is increasingly vilified in international forums, distorted across social media, and judged by standards applied to no other nation, Jews face a subtle temptation: to become defensive, apologetic, or emotionally detached from the extraordinary gift we have been given. Remarkably, the Torah anticipated this challenge. The second blessing of Birkas Hamazon, known as Birkas Ha'aretz ("The Blessing for the Land"), was instituted by Yehoshua (Joshua) when the Jewish people first entered Eretz Yisrael. Every day, after every meal, we thank G-d not only for our food, but "al ha'aretz hatovah asher nasan lach" ("for the good land that He has given you"). That daily expression of gratitude shapes the way we see Israel. We do not define our connection to the Land by newspaper headlines or shifting public opinion, but by an eternal covenant. We pray fervently for peace, security, and the safe return of every hostage. We acknowledge the pain and complexity of our moment. Yet none of that diminishes the profound privilege of living in a generation that has witnessed the return of the Jewish people to their ancestral homeland after nearly two thousand years. Gratitude anchors conviction. It reminds us that blessings are not measured by the absence of challenges, but by the greatness of the gift itself. This message feels especially timely as we transition from Tishah B'Av (9th of Av), when we mourned the destruction of Jerusalem and the Beis Hamikdash (Holy Temple), to Tu B'Av (15th if Av) which the Mishnah calls one of the happiest days of the Jewish calendar. Judaism never lingers in mourning. From the ashes of destruction, it calls us to rebuild. From heartbreak, it summons hope. From gratitude comes renewal. Perhaps that is why Birkas Hamazon (Grace after Meals) concludes not only with thanks for the past, but with prayers for the future—for Jerusalem rebuilt, for abundant blessing, and for a redeemed world. In a cynical age, gratitude is an act of faith. In a hostile world, gratitude for Eretz Yisrael is an act of courage. And in the days between Tishah B'Av and Tu B'Av, (15th of Av)it becomes an act of hope. Good Shabbos and Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Ruvi New 
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