“אִם עַל תּוֹדָה, יַקְרִיבֶנּוּ וְהִקְרִיב עַל זֶבַח הַתּוֹדָה חַלּוֹת מַצּוֹת בְּלוּלֹת בַּשֶּׁמֶן, וּרְקִיקֵי מַצּוֹת מְשֻׁחִים בַּשָּׁמֶן וְסֹלֶת מֻרְבֶּכֶת, חַלֹּת בְּלוּלֹת בַּשָּׁמֶן” (ויקרא ז’ י”ב)
רש”י: “אם על תודה יקריבנו – אם על דבר הודאה על נס שנעשה לו, כגון יורדי הים והולכי מדברות וחבושי בית האסורים וחולה שנתרפא שהם צריכין להודות שכתוב בהן (תהלים קז כא – כב) יודו לה’ חסדו ונפלאותיו לבני אדם ויזבחו זבחי תודה…”
Rashi: “If for a Todah he brings it – If in thanksgiving for a miracle that was performed for him, such as those who set out on the seas, and those who traverse deserts, and those who were imprisoned, and an ill person who recovered, as these people are obligated to give thanks for it is written of them ‘Thank Hashem for His mercy and wonders to man and bring Him thanksgiving sacrifices…”
Rashi lists four prototypes for one who is absolutely “obligated to give thanks”. Note that winning a raffle does not appear, nor does making an impressive shidduch or even the birth of a child. The sea, the desert and prison are all places unfit for life, and so, when the traveler returns to civilization, he thanks the Borei Olam for his life, which was delivered to him. We learn from the words of Rashi that above all, what demands thanks is life itself.
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The irony of the matter is, though, that as much as they may understand this, people rarely express their gratitude for life. It is well-known that recipients of bone marrow or kidney transplants often lose contact with their donors, forgetting rather quickly the gratitude owed for their very lives. Likewise, in our relations with the Borei Olam, we are more inclined to yell “Thank You Hashem” when we find a parking spot then to simply thank Him for life. Why is that? Shouldn’t we be most thankful for life itself?
Of course, we know that our lives come from the Borei Olam, just as the recipient of a kidney transplant knows that he is living with a kidney given to him by another human being. But the nature of man is to express his thankfulness when he recognizes a “תוספת” – something added or extra. Life, however, is not generally viewed as a “תוספת”; it is a part of us, basic and (so we assume) unchallengeable. And therefore, it does not occur to us to give thanks for life, as each of us considers his own life to be a most basic facet of existence. Of course I am, how could I not be?
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The necessity to view life itself as a “תוספת”, and thereby express our thanks for it, is reflected in the chapter of Tehillim quoted by Rashi above. Dovid Hamelech describes the experiences of the sea-farers, desert travelers, those released from prison, and those who have recovered from illness as they come to express their thankfulness to Hashem. In all four instances there is a four-stage process. First, there is the experience of danger: “They lost their way in the desert… starving and thirsty…” Secondly, they pray to Hashem: “And they screamed to Hashem in their desperation…” Afterwards, they are rescued: “And He guided them in the path…” And finally, they thank Hashem: “Thank Hashem for His mercy and wonders to man.” (Tehillim 107) The implication is that man will fully express thankfulness for life once he has truly experienced its fragility and prayed for his life to be granted to him. By undergoing such a process, a person recognizes that his very life is not a “given”, but rather a “תוספת”, and thus he is moved to express thanks.
Even someone who has undergone such an experience will be hard pressed to maintain such a frame of mind, to continue to view his own life as a “תוספת”. And certainly, for those who have never been stranded at sea or the like, it is a tremendous challenge to give thanks for life itself. As we see from Tehillim, such thanksgiving typically takes place only following an escape from danger, where the possibility of death is tangible. This is a problem and a challenge. But as difficult as it is, we need to put our minds to it and find a way; we need to be thankful for life.