FROM THE S'GAN MENAHEL

To Thank or Not to Thank, That is the Question!


"Let not my lord, I beg you, regard this worthless man, Naval; for as his
name is, so is he; Naval is his name, and disgraceful behavior is his; but I
your maidservant saw not the young men of my lord, whom you sent." (Shmuel I
Perek 25)

Dovid and his men protected the sheep of the magnate Naval, ensuring that
Naval would suffer no loss.  With Rosh HaShona rapidly approaching, Dovid
sent messengers asking Naval to demonstrate his appreciation for their
protection by sharing a small part of his Yom Tov food with Dovid's men, his
protectors. 

The disgraceful Naval was so full of himself that not only did he refuse,
but he contemptuously showered abuse and insult upon the anointed kind of
Israel.  Only through the wise intervention of Naval's sensible wife, the
prophetess Avigail, was Dovid convinced that it would not be proper for him
to avenge Naval's insult.  Avigail pointed out that Dovid's glorious
monarchy was still in its potential state, and had not yet become active, so
Dovid should not retaliate for the grievous insult personally.  HaShem
struck Naval with paralysis, and at the end of the Aseres Yimai Teshuva he
passed away, freeing the wise Avigail to marry Dovid HaMelech.


"Naval has said in his heart, 'There is no G-d'." (Tehillim 14).  Not only
is Naval an ingrate in his dealings with Man, but even more-so, Naval's smug
and prideful attitude led him to deny the very existence of G-d.  The Navals
of the world cannot give credit or appreciation to those who have raised
them and showered them with blessing, but rather deny all the good that has
been done to them and take for themselves all the credit.


Rashi points out (Breishis 3) that Adom demonstrated his lack of gratitude
to HaShem when he attempted to divert the blame for eating of the forbidden
fruit upon Chava.  Instead of appreciating the kindness of HaShem in
creating a wife for him, and instead of taking responsibility for his own
misdeed, Adom blamed HaShem for giving him this wife, Chava, who - in Adom's
eyes - was the cause of his downfall. 


Rashi (Breishis 11) points out that the Generation of the Great Schism (the
tower builders whose languages were diversified) are called "Sons of Odam",
since they too were ungrateful.  HaShem rebuilt civilization after the Great
Flood, and showered blessing upon the people.  Instead of thanking Him, they
built a lofty edifice for the purpose of making war with G-d Himself.  The
Torah points out that their wickedness was rooted in their ingratitude.  As
we saw in Tehillim 14, the ingrate even comes to deny G-d Himself.


Rashi (Shmos 7) points out that Moshe was not permitted to bring forth the
plagues of Blood, Frogs, (and Lice) as in his infancy he was saved by the
water, and in his young adulthood by the sand.  It is surprising that
inanimate objects such as water and sand must also receive their due.  It is
enlightening that Moshe was restrained from striking the water and the sand
with the plagues, as he owed them a debt of gratitude.  The Gemora in Bava
Kamma (daf 92b) exhorts us, "Into the well from which you drank, do not
throw a clod of earth."  It is so important that we refine our inner
character, that we are even exhorted to display sensitivity towards objects
which do not possess minds or feelings.


Many people exhibit an attitude of, "What have you done for me lately!?"
This philosophy is antithetical to the character traits demanded by the
Torah.  The Torah expects that we are "makir tov", that we recognize the
benefits  which we enjoy, and act upon that recognition by expressing our
appreciation in a meaningful manner.  One who lives by Torah ideals will be
full of joy as he counts the blessings showered upon him by G-d and Man.


Rabbeinu Yonah (Shaarei Teshuva Shaar 3) points out that often it is our
small character flaws that are our greatest stumbling blocks.  People are
repulsed by great sins, but those imperfections of character which are
commonplace are overlooked.  Just as a rope is made of numerous threads spun
together, great transgressions are often made of a personal fault which
keeps rearing its ugly head again and again.


"Familiarity breeds contempt."  Often it is with our own families and
closest friends that we have to do the most fence mending.  It is virtually
impossible to adequately express our appreciation to our family members who
are constantly engaged in bestowing kindness upon us.  As we look for ways
and means of improving ourselves in the coming years, we should definitely
focus on expressing and demonstrating our appreciation more adequately to
HaShem, our friends, and certainly our family members.


Good Shabbos/Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Naftoli Eisemann

S'gan Menahel/Assistant Principal