Rabbi Who Lost Son Finds New Meaning in Prayer of Gratitude
Translated & summarized from Arutz Sheva by baba
Rabbi Tamar Granot, who lost his son in the war, has found a new, profound meaning in the "Modim" prayer of gratitude. He struggles with how to thank God after his loss but finds sincerity by focusing on the "miracles" and blessings still in his life, such as his remaining family and students. This practice allows him to bear his pain and pray for continued hope, stating, "Do not disappoint us again."
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Rabbi Tamar Granot finds new meaning in the "Modim" prayer after losing his son in the war.
- He questions how to thank God for taking his beloved son but recites the prayer with absolute sincerity.
- Rabbi Granot focuses on "Your miracles that are with us every day" to see blessings in his life.
- He acknowledges the void of loss while simultaneously focusing on the good that remains.
- This practice allows him to bear his pain and pray from within it.
- He interprets the prayer's end as a plea: "Do not disappoint us again."
Rabbi Tamar Granot, who lost his son in the war, has found a profound and challenging new meaning in the "Modim" (We Give Thanks) blessing from the Amidah prayer. He described how the act of thanking God after such a devastating loss became a central struggle, questioning how one can express gratitude for what has been taken.
Rabbi Granot, head of the Orot Shaul Yeshiva, explained that when people approach him with their own pain, he first listens and tries to help them find sources of light and gratitude in their lives, despite their suffering. This practice informed his own approach to the "Modim" blessing.
"How can I thank God who took my beloved, beautiful, pure son?" he asked. He stated that this very question compels him to recite the words of the prayer with absolute sincerity, admitting, "I have no way to fake them, otherwise I cannot say them."
He finds the strength to continue by focusing on the phrase "for Your miracles that are with us every day." Rabbi Granot looks around at his remaining children, grandchildren, students, and the many people he has met, recognizing the blessings and "miracles" still present in his life. He described this as a mental "split," acknowledging the immense void left by his son's death while simultaneously focusing on the existing good.
This process of acknowledging the good, he explained, does not erase the pain but rather enables him to bear it and to pray from within that pain. He then recites the concluding words of the blessing, "for Your compassion has not ended, and Your kindnesses have not ceased," interpreting them as a plea: "Hope us not to be disappointed again. Do not do the same thing to us again."