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Jewish tradition and life is rich with examples and sources about expressing gratitude not only to G-d but to mankind, animals and inanimate objects.
Mankind:
Mankind:
The fifth of the Ten Commandments is the mitzvah to honour one’s parents. One of the basic understandings of this mitzvah is that it expresses gratitude to people who have assisted us in some way.
As the ‘Sefer Hachinuch’ puts it: “Among the foundations of the mitzvah of honoring parents is that it is proper to acknowledge and repay the kindness that one received, and not to be an uncouth ingrate, for ungratefulness is a dreadful character flaw that is anathema before G-d and man.”
Animals:
As the ‘Sefer Hachinuch’ puts it: “Among the foundations of the mitzvah of honoring parents is that it is proper to acknowledge and repay the kindness that one received, and not to be an uncouth ingrate, for ungratefulness is a dreadful character flaw that is anathema before G-d and man.”
Animals:
The Torah prohibits muzzling animals while they plow. The ‘Sefer Chassidim’ says this is because it is an obligation to express gratitude to the animal for the work it does.
Rashi provides another example: when the Torah tells us to specifically give meat that has become non-kosher to the dogs, it is because they did not bark at the Jews when they were leaving Egypt.
Inanimate Objects:
Rashi provides another example: when the Torah tells us to specifically give meat that has become non-kosher to the dogs, it is because they did not bark at the Jews when they were leaving Egypt.
Inanimate Objects:
When the first two plagues of blood and frogs devastated Egypt, it was Aharon rather than Moshe who struck the Nile River to initiate them.
Rashi explains: “Because the Nile protected Moses when he was cast into it, he therefore did not strike it to initiate these plagues …; Aharon did so instead.”
Obviously inanimate object don’t have feelings that need protection. Nevertheless because the Nile had saved him, Moshe would not strike it. He was developing in himself feelings of gratitude toward the vehicles of his salvation.
A moving story is told about Rabbi Yisroel Zev Gustman who always insisted on carefully caring for the trees and bushes in his garden in his yeshiva in Jerusalem. His students asked him why he did so when he could have delegated this task. Rabbi Gustman explained that during World War Two he hid from the Nazis in a forest where his life was saved time and time again by the shelter of the bushes and the fruit of the trees. His caring for them was an expression of gratitude to these instruments of his survival.
Obviously inanimate object don’t have feelings that need protection. Nevertheless because the Nile had saved him, Moshe would not strike it. He was developing in himself feelings of gratitude toward the vehicles of his salvation.
A moving story is told about Rabbi Yisroel Zev Gustman who always insisted on carefully caring for the trees and bushes in his garden in his yeshiva in Jerusalem. His students asked him why he did so when he could have delegated this task. Rabbi Gustman explained that during World War Two he hid from the Nazis in a forest where his life was saved time and time again by the shelter of the bushes and the fruit of the trees. His caring for them was an expression of gratitude to these instruments of his survival.