צהלת בוקר

Modeh Ani. The first appearance of the exuberance of life brings with it the transcendent joy of holy rejoicing, which finds the fullness of its glorious expression through thanksgiving. Gratitude, recognizing the goodness of the Lord of the world, Master over all works, who in His goodness gives life to the living, is the storehouse of good. It contains all the substance of a fulfilment of obligation, as well as that spiritual refinement which comes through the fullness of love produced through relationship, and the neshama is illuminated by it, filled with light and joy. The teaching that there is an obligation to give thanks through language, particularly through the expression ‘grateful acknowledgement’ (modeh), is derived from two aspects of meaning in this term. One is thankfulness, todah, which results from gratitude toward the one who does good; the other is confession, hitvadut, which is an acknowledgement of the truth. The two are fit to one another. The first exuberance of life which meets one as they rise from sleep, finding before them a full, new world in all its wholeness and goodness, lifts up the light of the inner intellect to recognize the light and brilliance which lie at the foundation of life. In place of the muddied, physical perspective which is impressed in the nature of flesh, the spirit rises to a clear Divine perspective, to see the soul of the light of the Life-giver of the world in the splendor of its action. And moved by his feelings of thanksgiving, man acknowledges the truth, fulfilling the depths of the truth of spiritual awareness, testifying on all the light of life and existence, that it flows from the spring of goodness and its source, from the source of transcendent lovingkindness, which pours out abundant life to all the many worlds and their creations.