If we reflect on the words of some of the prayers and hymns we hear, sing and affirm during Badarak, by saying “amen” we will realize that they carry a tremendous spiritual depth that sometimes can be hard to understand, grasp and agree with. ‘Hamenayni’ is one such example. It is a very short and cheerful hymn where we pray and say:

“In all things blessed are you, O Lord.

We bless you, we praise you;

We give thanks to you; We pray to you,

O Lord our God.”

The hymn reminds and encourages us to seek and see a divine blessing and presence in all things and to be thankful for everything and in every situation. But how is that possible? There are some horrible things that we go through and experience in life. And it is hard to imagine and understand how we can be thankful for everything and see a blessing in all things.

For me, as a parent, one of the most painful experiences was taking the kids to a doctor for vaccination when they were very young. You know how it goes – they ask you to hold the baby as they start singing the ABCs or another nursery rhyme. Then comes the needle and all hell breaks loose when they do the injection. The kids cry, yell and kick, unaware that the doctor or the nurse is actually helping them by administering a life-saving vaccine. As adults, we have a very different understanding and attitude toward medical interventions. Even when medical treatments and procedures expose us to tremendous pain and discomfort, unlike children, we cooperate and remain grateful simply because we realize that everything is being done for our benefit and well-being. We might not understand every detail behind the science of medical procedures and procedures, but we trust the doctor, their training, and experience, and this changes everything.

The same is true for spiritual life and maturity. Someone firmly rooted in their faith and relationship with God is able to see His invisible hand, His healing touch and blessing when things don’t work out as we hoped and when the events of our lives take a dire and unfortunate turn. Yes, we might not understand how or why such things are happening. We might not be able to comprehend how, when, or where God will intervene in our lives, but we continue trusting Him because we know that He cares, understands, and knows precisely what is truly good and beneficial for us. It is through this pure and holy trust towards God that gratitude is born and we are able to join the heavenly choir of the angels, saints and martyrs, sing and say “Hamenayni orhnyal yes Der.” 

“In all things blessed are you, O Lord.

We bless you, we praise you;

We give thanks to you; We pray to you,

O Lord our God.”