"Todah"

Those of you who have had the opportunity to have dinner with Amber, Miriam and me know that we have a tradition of singing the Doxology prior to our meal. There’s something about singing our prayers that enhances the experience and draws us closer as a family - no wonder this was a common practice, and still is, among the Jews. Even Miriam chimes in. Now while she doesn’t necessarily know the words to this hymn, she does know the tune and she hums right along with Amber and me. Lately, Amber has included another song to our pastiche of songs we sing to Miriam. This one, like the Doxology focuses on God’s benevolence. It is Johnny Appleseed’s song;

"O the Lord’s been good to me,
And so I thank the Lord
For giving me the things I need,
The sun and the rain and the apple seed,
The Lord’s been good to me, Amen."

Indeed, this is an appropriate song to sing, and it is an especially fitting song as we consider Thanksgiving. Now, typically, when one thinks of Thanksgiving it seems that automatically turkey, dressing, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie and a host of other delicacies come to mind. Sadly, we have become a nation and people infatuated with food. What’s more, food is not only the focal point of our stomachs, but also our hearts when it comes to our celebrations.
Now, I love to eat as much, if not more, as the next person. In fact, I think food helps to heighten any celebration; but, with that said, we must not allow food, or anything else for that matter to deter our focus when it comes to celebrations and giving thanks.
Recently, I read an Off Broadway review of Martha & Me. The play portrays the obsession of a woman and the way she deals with (or rather, doesn’t deal with) her problems, which start to haunt her as the stresses of Thanksgiving begin. Her host of problems include marital troubles, refusal to communicate with her older son Jack, and failure to realize that her invited guest are weakening the bond of her family. Perhaps you feel a little like this woman around the holidays. Someone once said; "Holidays are a time to be enjoyed with family, but not to enjoy the family." Sadly, this is true of many families. We allow all of our problems and differences to prevent us from truly enjoying one another, which causes us to loose focus of the true meaning of Thanksgiving.
To the Hebrews, "thanksgiving" meant a lot more than just being thankful. And certainly, it involve more than just eating and ignoring one’s problems or family issues. To the Hebrews, thanksgiving was a way of life, and I think we could learn a lesson or two from their understanding of "thanksgiving."
One of my favorite psalms is Psalm 100, it is a Psalm of Thanksgiving. In fact, it is titled; Todah, which is a Hebrew word derived from the verb yadah. Now, I know what you’re thinking; "Yadah, yadah, yadah Chris!" But there is a profound lesson to be learned from this Hebrew word. In it’s simplest form, yadah means "to throw" or "to cast" and common forms of this verb mean to "acknowledge," "confess" or "praise." Thus, todah is an "acknowledgment" or "confession" of one’s own shortcomings, not ignoring them as the woman in Martha & Me. Todah is also an "acknowledgment" or "confession" of God’s goodness, as in the case of Psalm 100. Another meaning of todah is "thanksgiving offering," which was an optional sacrifice made to express thanks to God. Psalm 100 is a typical psalm for use when presenting such an offering, praising God’s righteousness in contrasts to one’s sin, and confessing God’s greatness through singing. Certainly, this Psalm should be a part of our daily living.
The Psalmist begins by proclaiming; "Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come into his presence with singing." The Hebrew verb for "make a joyful noise" is a command for public praise. Thus, reminding us that thanksgiving isn’t just felt, but also expressed and lived out. Notice too, that this command isn’t just addressed to Israel but to all the earth. The Israelites were to be a people who would attract the nations to worship God. And so, through our thanksgiving we must attract others to God.
I love how the Psalmist in verse 3 affirms his faith in God, by saying; "Know that the Lord is God. It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture." These words reflect the great confession of faith in Deuteronomy 6:4-9, also known as the Shema, which affirmed the Hebrew’s faith in One God - monotheistic!
And finally, the Psalmist sums us his Psalm of Thanksgiving - Todah, with the words that Johnny Appleseed captured in his song; "For the Lord is good; his mercy endures forever, and his truth to all generations." Indeed the Lord is good! And notice how the Psalmist’s affirmation of the goodness of God in this final verse is supported by an appeal to God’s mercy and truth. The Hebrew word for "truth" comes from the root word meaning "to be established" or "to be confirmed." From this same root also comes the word amen, meaning "surely" or "truly." God’s goodness is based on his love and faithfulness. Amen!
As we enter these months of thanksgiving - first, beginning with Thanksgiving itself, and then Advent and Christmas, let’s be mindful of the reasons for our thanksgiving. Let us not allow all of the hype and commercialism of these seasons to deter us from truly offering thanksgiving to God as the Hebrews would. And, what’s more, let us allow todah, thanksgiving to open our hearts to God that we might experience his mercy and truth. Let us live a life of thanksgiving by applying this Psalm to our lives.