by Cantor Emma Lutz
One of the best parts of my week is my visit to our early childhood center classrooms, joyful time set aside for music, play, and stories from our tradition. With Thanksgiving on the horizon, I shared this cherished tale with the young learners last week, and the sweet reminder to always practice gratitude for what we have feels welcome and timely, not just for our children but for us all…
There once was a king who reigned over a prosperous kingdom. The king was wealthy and honored, but one day he fell very ill. The trusted healer of the palace came to visit him and sadly, could find nothing medically wrong with him. “I have seen this before,” the healer said to the king. “Nothing ails you but a heaviness of heart—a lack of gratitude for what you already have. Find the happiest, most grateful person in your kingdom and ask to don their coat. Only then will you be well again!”
And so, the king set about searching his kingdom for its most grateful and happy inhabitant. He approached the richest man in the kingdom and asked, “Are you happy?” The man responded: “I am pleased with all that I have acquired, but I know that my riches could be gone at any moment. I live with fear rather than gratitude of losing all that I have acquired!”
So the king kept searching. He approached a famous celebrity in his kingdom, a woman most popular amongst her peers. “Are you grateful for the many friendships in your life?” the king asked. She replied: “Even when surrounded by so many admirers, I often feel alone. I would be very grateful if I had just one true friend in my life!”
And so the king, growing weaker and feeling defeated, prepared to return to his castle. Along the way, he saw a young man skipping, singing to himself, and smiling. The young man was obviously poor but emanated a cheerful and pleasant glow. The king approached him and asked: “Are you grateful, young man?” To which he replied: “Oh yes, sir, most grateful! I recognize so much good in my life. Every meal I eat is a blessing from God, every conversation with a friend a sacred encounter, and even time like this to get to know someone new is something to be grateful for. I believe I am the happiest, most grateful man in the entire kingdom!”
The king couldn’t believe his ears! He finally found the cure for his malady. “Would you mind, young man, if I could don your coat? I want to wear the coat of the happiest man in my kingdom!” To which the young man replied: “Dear sir, I’d be more than happy to share my coat, only I don’t have a coat at all!”
When we open ourselves to feeling gratitude for what we have, we are able to discover just how much good already exists in our lives. Wishing you a meaningful and sweet Thanksgiving with your family and friends and a Shabbat Shalom!
