אם ירצה ה׳
Rav Miller’s genius lies in making supreme avodas Hashem accessible: Transform every mundane moment (eating, walking, sleeping) into a joyful encounter with the Divine through gratitude. Start small, practice consistently; and watch your soul ascend.
Prologue
" What does Hashem want from me?” That’s a question that everyone should ask themselves one time or another – and probably very frequently – because the answer to that question is everything. If we want to accomplish things in this world, it’s a question that should concern us all the time.
In the Eikev parsha Moshe Rabeinu is speaking to the Am Yisroel and he says to them as follows: וְעַתָּה יִשְׂרָאֵל מָה הַשֵּׁם אֱלֹקֶיךָ שֹׁאֵל מֵעִמָּךְ – “And now Yisroel; what is Hashem asking from you?”
Oohh wah! Jackpot! That’s our question! And we can hear an answer now from Moshe our Teacher who is speaking the Word of Hashem: “You know what He wants from you? כִּי אִם – only, לְיִרְאָה אֶת הַשֵּׁם אֱלֹקֶיךָ – to fear Hashem your G-d, לָלֶכֶת בְּכָל דְּרָכָיו – and to walk in all of His ways, וּלְאַהֲבָה אֹתוֹ – and to love Him, וְלַעֲבֹד אֶת הַשֵּׁם אֱלֹקֶיךָ בְּכָל לְבָבְךָ וּבְכָל נַפְשֶׁךָ – and to serve Hashem your G-d with all your heart and with all your soul, לִשְׁמֹר אֶת מִצְוֹת הַשֵּׁם וְאֶת חֻקֹּתָיו – and to keep all the mitzvos of Hashem and to keep all of His laws (Eikev 10:12-13).
Growth by Gratitude
And that’s going to be the solution to the great problem of how can we gain all these things that Hashem is demanding of us: to fear Hashem, and to walk in all of His ways, and to love Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul and so on. Because it’s a problem, a real problem: How do we come to all those forms of perfection? We’re ordinary people living in an ordinary world. How can we achieve all of these great levels of avodas Hashem?
The answer is that avodas Hashem startswhen a man understands what Hakodosh Boruch Hu did for him, when he studies all the benefits that are being showered on him. Not only today! A man can say – even a seventy year old man – “How fortunate I am that I was born! How many miscarriages take place in the world and I made it! I’m not a cripple! I’m not blind! I have so many limbs and so many organs, and every one is functioning and each one is a miracle of plan and purpose.”
And after a while he begins to ask a big question, a very big question. מָה אָשִׁיב לַשֵּׁם כָּל תַּגְמוּלוֹהִי עָלָי – “What can I do to pay back to Hashem for all that He’s doing to me?”
The Royal Road to Greatness: Gratitude in 100 Blessings
Source: Parshat Eikev (Devarim 10:12–13)
I. The Great Question: "What Does Hashem Want?"
Moshe Rabbeinu asks the eternal question: "What does Hashem ask of you?" (Devarim 10:12). The answer seems overwhelming: fear Hashem, walk in His ways, love Him, serve Him wholeheartedly, and keep His commandments. This sounds like a lifelong mission requiring superhuman effort—learning Shas, mastering mussar, and relentless self-sacrifice.
The Surprising Key:
Chazal reveal a hidden path in the very words of the pasuk:
"Do not read it as ‘מָה’ (what), but as ‘מֵאָה’ (one hundred).’
(Menachos 43b).
Hashem’s ultimate demand is 100 brachos each day—a deceptively simple yet profound key to spiritual greatness.
II. Brachos: More Than Words
Rav Miller warns: Do not reduce brachos to technicalities. Counting 19 in Shemoneh Esrei × 3, plus brachos on food or bodily functions, misses the point. True brachos are heartfelt explosions of gratitude:
- Example: The Kuzari teaches that brachos enhance pleasure. Saying "Baruch Hashem" before eating an apple transforms mindless consumption into joyous appreciation (Kuzari 3:13–17).
- Tragedy of Ingratitude: A yeshiva man asks, "Why should I be grateful?" A teenager demands, "What do my parents do for me?" We mirror this attitude toward Hashem when we overlook His endless gifts.
III. The Gratitude Laboratory: Daily Training
Rav Miller invites us on a "walking club" through life to practice gratitude:
1. Waking Up: "Modeh Ani!" — Thank Hashem for the miracle of consciousness.
2. Body Functions: Recite Asher Yatzar with awe—urination is "a taste of Olam Haba" (Berachos 57b).
3. Mobility: Walking is a symphony of coordinated muscles, bones, and nerves. Rejoice in each step!
4. Nature’s Beauty:
- A blue sky? "Hashem painted this for me!" (Chovos Halevavos).
- Gray clouds? "He prepares rain for my fruits and flowers!" (Tehillim 147:8).
5. Eyesight: Cherish the gift of sight. A blind man would pay fortunes for it—you received it freely!
6. Teeth, Light, Home: Click your teeth joyfully. Thank Hashem for electric lights. Marvel at your warm bed.
IV. The Transformational Power
Gratitude reshapes our relationship with Hashem:
- From Obligation to Love: When we recognize everything as a personal gift ("The Host prepared this banquet for me!"—Berachos 58a), love and awe flow naturally.
- The Path to Perfection: Daily gratitude fuels our journey toward yirah, ahava, and avodah. As Rav Miller declares:
"This is the royal road to greatness! While working on gratitude, you become happier and richer without spending a penny."
V. Let’s Get Practical
Start Small, Grow Steadily:
1. Week 1: 10× daily, pause and thank Hashem for a specific gift (e.g., eyes, a flower, warm water).
2. Week 2: Increase to 15× daily.
3. Goal: Build toward 100 genuine "thank You’s" each day—until gratitude becomes your default state.
"If you enjoy this world 100 times a day with gratitude, you pave a path to eternal joy in Olam Haba."
—Rav Avigdor Miller
Why This Matters Today
In an era of entitlement, Rav Miller’s message is revolutionary: Happiness is not in having more, but in appreciating what you have. By living with "meiah brachos," we fulfill the entire Torah—not through struggle, but through joyful awareness of Hashem’s endless kindness.
Have a Wonderful Shabbos!
Inspired? Support spreading Rav Miller’s Torah at torasavigdor.org/give.