bikurim-appreciate what you have

Part of human nature is to take things and people for granted. It is well known that only when one suddenly misses something or experiences tragedy, that the basics of life are appreciated. Often, only after a person recovers from illness, returns to their routine after suffering bereavement or climbs out of financial difficulty, do they see things differently having experienced the low they went through. Perspectives change, sometimes dramatically, to a greater level of Hakarat Hatov (gratitude), empathy and understanding.

On a national level, this too can be experienced. It’s easy to forget to value fully what we have. In this weeks Parsha, we learn of the mitzvah of ‘Bikurim’. We’re instructed that, in the time of the Bet Mikdash, farmers were to take their first ripened fruit of the year and present them to the Kohen. The gift of his first fruits, or Bikurim, to the Kohen symbolizes their dedication to serving G-d.

For a Jew, to say that all his accomplishments and achievements-no matter how much time and effort he invested-is a gift from G-d is a fundamental tenant of Judaism. Bringing Bikurim, includes a moving declaration of thanks and gratitude to G-d, as the guide and overseer of our history and destiny.

The overall message is ,that one doesn’t have to experience a low to achieve gratitude. As with other Mitzvoth, the Torah helps us find a way of achieving this without suffering. Bikurim ‘trains’ not just farmers, but all of us to appreciate consistently. Whilst unfortunately, we don’t have Bikurim nowadays, we still have things like Brachot etc as a means of showing Hakarat Hatov.

When we look at our own lives, it’s easy to look around and see what we are lacking. That’s natural-humans are after all social beings. But, instead we need to try to focus on what we have. If we lower our expectations and count our blessings then we may be happier and more contented people and Ovdei Hashem. The Mishna in Pirkei Avot says, ‘Who is rich? He who is satisfied with his lot’. At different stages of life, people are blessed in different ways. Instead of thinking about what is missing in our lives we should thank G-d for what we have been blessed with, and as a reward hopefully the rest of our Tefillot will be answered too.

Often good things come to people who are happy, optimistic and positive and content with their lot.

Shabbat Shalom.