Q&A: Stories of Righteous People and Gratitude
Stories of Righteous People and Gratitude
Question
There are many stories about the gratitude shown by the great sages of Israel (like Rabbi Shach, for example), and this is also presented as a central foundation in Judaism. After reading all the stories about the great sages of Israel and their conduct of gratitude, I realized that there are a great many people to whom I owe gratitude, and if I try to show gratitude to all of them to a sufficient degree, I won’t have any time left for anything else. On the other hand, from the stories about the great sages of Israel it sounds like they devoted a significant amount of time in their lives to this, and that it really is a building block at the foundation of Judaism. I usually try to say a heartfelt thank you and remember that I owe gratitude, but not always—in other words, many times—I don’t “repay the favor.” For example, traveling from Ma’alot to the central region for the wedding of someone to whom I owe great gratitude, and for whom it is important that I come, is very difficult for me. What do you think?
Answer
There is no obligation at all to devote time to this. Gratitude is mainly a feeling, and it should find practical expression in places where it is actually called for (and not artificially, just for the sake of showing gratitude). When you are supposed to travel far for a wedding, you should also take into account the waste of time as against the benefit the groom will get, and not only the obligation of gratitude. In general, I would not learn much from stories, because most of them are not reliable. The purpose of the stories is to arouse you to action (and that may be a slight justification for this collection of lies), but not to chart the direction and content of the work. That should be learned from sources and from using your own reasoning, not from stories.