Gratitude, known as hakarat hatov (acknowledgment of the good) is a key concept in theological and human terms.

When properly understood and engaged, it roots us in the present and gives meaning to our daily lives. Even when things are troublesome, there is much to be grateful for. It’s more than a mere “the glass is half full” aphorism. It’s about being settled in this life. It’s about living in the now, as modern psycho-babble would have it.

Too often we ignore the present for future gain or vision. We live for the end of the rainbow and don’t see its present magnificence. Earning money for a child’s future is important, but perhaps not more important than reading a story tonight. So many of us wait for graduation, vacation, when the kids grow up, etc. But when the kids are grown, they are gone. We miss the daily interaction, the full level of love and, yes, irritation that makes life so full and worth living. Now.

Don’t wait eagerly for the terrible twos to be over. Try to see the joy, the fun and the silliness that’s built into that phase. Life is to be engaged in now. Struggle with it – don’t sleep through it! See the good as it appears, and be grateful for that life and that relationship. Seize the day!

Nevertheless, living for the present is not sufficient. A future-looking vision is equally engaging and necessary. We advance forward, hoping for progress, expecting some form of future achievement. Never satisfied with the present, we constantly push ourselves to do more, planning for the next 10 or 20 years, seeking a future that is better for our descendants.

In Jewish terms, we are commanded to guard, protect and improve the world. Looking to the future is part of our mandate. What will my life be like? How can I improve it and help others? These are critical questions that we must keep asking and expanding. Never satisfied with the present, we plan for the future.

There is a dynamic tension between this sense of present awareness and forward planning. It is suitably illustrated in a talmudic story of Shammai and Hillel. Shammai ate in honour of Shabbat. If he found a good chicken, he saved it for Shabbat. Hillel lived each day for itself, blessing God day by day. Both modes of existence are available, and even recommended, in our tradition. Finding the balance between present consciousness and future pursuit is the goal.

My grandson is about to celebrate his bar mitzvah with two great-grandmothers over 90. I am grateful for this great good. Dayeinu. I also feel a powerful desire to be present at his child’s bar mitzvah (B’H).