FIRST MITZVAH OF THE DAY - MODEH ANI

MODEH ANI L’FANECHA - Thank you HaShem for granting me another day in this world

BS"D Modeh Ani L'Fanecha - Thank you HaShem for granting me another day in this world (Olam HaZeh), The essence of a Jew is gratitude to HaShem. “Yehudi” comes from the root verb meaning to thank. If we really stopped to think about how much HaShem does for us every second of the day, we wouldn’t be able to stop saying thank you.

Sometimes we can get frustrated at the people around us – why don’t most people say “thank you”? We take each other so much for granted. We don’t always remember to say thank you for the countless jobs each of us do every day to keep our households afloat – the shopping, cooking, dishes, taking out the garbage, clothing, washing, drying, cleaning, working - the list is endless – and I mean everyone – men, women, children. We all take each other for granted – so what about HaShem?

So here is a very easy Mitzvah: Before we go to bed at night, we put a basin, a small towel and a large cup of water (negel vasser - literally "finger water" in Yiddish) by our bed. The first thing we do when we wake up, every morning, is to immediately thank HaShem for returning our souls to us. We put our hands together, fingers facing upwards to Shamoyim (Heaven) and say:

Modeh ani lefanecha Melech chai vekayam shehechezarta bi nishmasi bechemla rabbah emunasecha. I offer thanks to You, living and eternal King, for You have mercifully restored my soul within me; Your faithfulness is great.

We then take up our negel vasser cup in our right hand, pass it to our left hand, and pour water over the entire right hand until the wrist. Then take the cup in the right hand and pour similarly over the entire left hand, alternately each hand three times while saying this blessing:

Baruch Atta Ado-noy Elo-hai-nu Melech ha'olam asher kid-sha-nu b'mitz-vo-sav v'tzi-vanu al Netilas Yadayim. Blessed are you, Lord our G-d, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us concerning the washing of the hands.

Dry your hands and you have now completed your first mitzvah of the day! We wash our hands first thing in the morning because when we sleep it is as if 1/60th of our neshama (soul) has passed on to the next world. But here is a great story that shows that HaShem's guidebook (The Shulchan Aruch - Code of Jewish Law) runs the world:

Rabbi Simcha Dessler, Educational Director of Hebrew Academy of Cleveland, Ohio, cited an amazing article in the January 9th, 2009 Newsletter.

He wrote of a conference of neurologists from around the world where a Professor of Britain shared the results of a study which determined that a certain percentage of people faint upon arising in the morning. Professor McMaron went on to explain that the cause lies in the radical transfer of positions – from prone (laying flat) to standing. Professor McMaron discovered that it takes twelve seconds for blood to travel from the feet to the brain and that when one stands immediately upon arising the blood travels to the brain too quickly, causing these individuals to faint. The professor recommended that upon awakening, people should slowly count from one to twelve before standing to avoid the risk of fainting.

Another professor, an Orthodox Jew, then asked to speak. He ascended to the podium and stated that for thousands of years, Jewish tradition has provided a prayer of gratitude to the Almighty for restoring our souls and being given the gift of life anew each morning. The prayer is recited immediately upon waking up and while still in bed. There are twelve words in the prayer, and when said with proper concentration, it takes twelve seconds to recite the twelve words.

The Jewish professor then went on to recite the prayer: Modeh ani lefanecha Melech chai vekayam shehechezarta bi nishmasi bechemla rabbah emunasecha.

Amazing – twelve words – twelve seconds – totally amazing. Thank you HaShem!