Recently, I read a biography of Rabbi Avigdor Miller, titled, “Rav Avigdor Miller - His Life and His Revolution”. Biographies of great people are enjoyable to read and are a great source of wisdom. Rabbi Miller was a very interesting person and his teachings have a very widespread influence.

He was full of excitement for life and always brought out the blessings of life. He called it a “career of gratitude”. He taught that a person should make it a career of thanking G-d and of being grateful. He also had other “careers” - a career of good character, a career of building a family, a career of loving others, a career of study, and so on. A career meant a lifelong dedication and constant focus on the goal of achieving personal and internal perfection.

He looked at the wonders of everything. He would call the eyes “two expensive cameras” and water he called “elixir of life”. He would say, “The rain is so much fun, it's a wonderful blessing. The wind is exciting, too! Isn't it good to be a Jew?!” To achieve this goal of a “career of gratitude” he studied science to understand the wonders of everything and how much benefit we receive from everything in nature.

I was particularly taken with how he would dance with his children to a tune and sing, “Tu … tu … tu … isn't it fun to be alive?!” In middle of the day he would exclaim to himself too, “it's so much fun to be alive!”

This made me realize that when a person is grateful, they could come to appreciate existence itself. Just to be alive is so yummy. We have wants and needs that we are looking to fulfill. They are good and they also bring happiness. But there is something greater which goes beyond our activities and goals, and that is existing itself.

The appreciation to be alive can be experienced when things go well or the opposite. When we are upset about different things in life, we can come to appreciate the simple form of life - just existing. When we are excited about things, it can be more difficult to appreciate just existing.

However, it's very worthwhile to give focus to it for two reasons. One, because good moods don't last forever. If we love living, there is always something to be excited about. Second, being excited about life is a very deep excitement which goes beyond things and situations.

Chanukah is coming up next Thursday night, December 10. Chanukah is a time of gratitude. It is particularly stationed in the winter when the days are shortest and the Mitzvah (commandment) of this holiday is being done at night. This comes to symbolize bringing light into darkness.

The candles that we light are made with just one wick - a very small light. In a way, this symbolizes existence, which is simple and doesn't involve all the complexities of other life experiences. When we are in a dark place, we can at least appreciate existence. Even when the sun start shining again, we need to remember this appreciation, because the appreciation of just being alive is the deepest and most profound one.

Light is unbelievable. A small candle which is a fraction of the size of a dark room can enlighten the whole room. What does the candle do in its spare time? It exists. It also jumps and flickers. How excited the candle is to be alive!

Comments? Email me: moshe@mosheunger.com.