Embracing the Deeper Meaning of Hakarat HaTov This Thanksgiving

The purpose of Thanksgiving is to express our gratitude for the blessings in our lives. But what does gratitude really mean? The definition of gratitude is the quality of being thankful; the definition of being thankful is feeling pleased and relieved. These definitions seem to contradict one another. Is gratitude a quality we can possess or a feeling we experience? These definitions suggest that unless we are feeling pleased and relieved, we are not “grateful” people. But this presents a problem: when we are struggling in our lives, that’s when we truly need gratitude to help us not take our lives for granted—but that’s also when we don’t “feel pleased and relieved.” In other words, this makes gratitude seem kind of pointless.

So, what do we do with this discovery that gratitude might be pointless? Don’t we have the concept of Hakarat HaTov—gratitude—in Judaism? The truth is, we actually don’t. Hakarat HaTov is often thought of as or watered down to simple gratitude. In reality, Hakarat HaTov is the ability to recognize the good that has been done and to never lose sight of that good. This idea is far more profound than basic gratitude. It doesn’t have anything to do with how we feel; it has to do with how we think and see the world. The ability to see the beauty in the world and carry it with us through difficult times as a beacon of hope and strength is a trait far more important than "the quality of feeling pleased and relieved." While gratitude helps us see the blessings in our lives, Hakarat HaTov helps us hold onto them.

As we approach this year’s Thanksgiving, let us uphold the virtue of Hakarat HaTov, remembering that it holds a deeper significance than the word “gratitude.”