Good News of the Week – A Letter From the CEO

Shalom,

As the Jewish calendar month of Adar begins today, we have arrived at our fifth value from our Jewish Values curriculum: Hakarat Hatov. This is one of my personal favorites, when our students begin to realize the profound importance and even holiness in a Jew’s obligation of “seeking joy and being grateful.”

Hakarat Hatov literally translates to “recognizing the good,” but as we do with all of the values at ShalomLearning, we ask our students to take the meaning a step further.

When you look at the etymology of being Jewish, “Judaism” comes from the name “Judah,” (Yehuda in Hebrew) the fourth son of Jacob and Leah. At his birth Leah said, “This time I will thank God” (Genesis 29:35). Yes, the root of our tribe’s name is “Hodah” which means “to give thanks,” thus at the very essence of being Jewish is to be thankful.

According to Harvard Medical School, giving thanks makes you happier. Positive Psychology research has proven that the benefits of being grateful are enormous (such as improved health, quality of life in relishing good experiences, dealing with adversity, and building stronger relationships). There are several things that you can do to boost your graciousness like keeping a gratitude journal, writing and hand delivering letters of gratitude, praying, etc.

In my family, every Shabbat, just before or after the Friday night Kiddush, we go around the table and everyone contributes some “good news of the week.” This is a tradition my wife and I picked up from one of my first Jewish education mentors, Rabbi Fred Benjamin. At Rabbi Benjamin’s house, we passed the kiddush cup around while everyone had a turn holding the good news and reflected on one thing for which they were thankful. The cup that was filled with with wine and blessings of joy literally overflowed even more with the gratitude. Plus, all food and drink always tastes better with a blessing before hand. I encourage you all to try this tradition!

Countless of our non-Jewish friends after joining us for Shabbat have shared with us that they have brought the “good news of the week” into their homes. I have long known that whatever one focuses on is real to that person. The key to a successful life is not in material things, but rather it is in gratitude and appreciation of life itself and those we love.

I am so very thankful to be part of the ShalomLearning community and my prayer for you during this point of our curriculum is for all of you to bring in more “good news of the week” into your lives and into your homes. Share your joy with your family and friends. It is The Jewish Way (a great book by Rabbi Irving Greenberg). Your kids will thank you some day for this gift of gifts (being grateful for gratitude itself). So… If you haven’t done it yet, I recommend you start with some good news of the week.

And may you have a chag purim samaeach!

Gratefully Yours,

Josh

About Josh Troderman

Joshua Troderman, President of ShalomLearning has been a passionate innovator of Jewish education for 20 years. Josh has held teaching and administrative positions at a number of Jewish day schools, synagogues, and summer camps, including The Rashi School, The Rodeph Shalom Day School, The Kesher Community Hebrew School, The Rebecca and Israel Ivry Prozdor High School, Congregation Kehillath Israel, Camp Ramah, Camp Edward Isaacs, and Storahtelling. Since 2009, Josh has also directed JChoice.org, a giving platform that empowers Jewish youth to learn about and experience the mitzvah of Tzedakah. Josh holds a master’s degree in Jewish Education (2005) from The William Davidson Graduate School of Jewish Education. He lives in Brookline, MA with his wife and two children, and can be seen playing keyboards and singing on Thursdays with his soul and funk band called The New Mother Earth.