Bikkurim carries the important theme of gratitude. When the farmer would give his first fruits to the Kohen, he would pronounce a meaningful declaration acknowledging his appreciation and gratefulness to Hashem. Interestingly, after the farmer completes the declaration and lays down the basket of fruits and bows to Hashem, the pasuk says, “You shall be happy with all the goodness that Hashem, your God, has given you …” What’s the meaning behind this pasuk, and what is the connection between this pasuk and the declaration preceding it?

This can perhaps be explained, based on the comments of Rav Chaim of Chernovitz on the idea of the thanks that the farmer expresses in his declaration. To begin, Rav Chaim brings a parable: A father gives his son a gift. Now, if the son is wise he will understand that his father gave him this gift voluntarily, for free, out of his love for him. Upon recognizing this, the son will attain a greater love for his father, and will relate to his father with love and joy, and with a truly happy heart he will feel indebted to him for the good he received from him. When the father sees this, the father’s love and affection for his son will thereby increase, causing the father to give more good things to his son. Every day, the father continues to increase the amount of goodness he gives to his son, since he sees that his son loves these gifts and considers them important, and that he recognizes that his father is giving it to him of his own volition, not because his father owes him anything.

Then there’s a different type of son. If his father gives him a gift, he doesn’t consider it important and he doesn’t show his love for it. The reason is because from this son’s perspective, he thinks such gifts are coming to him, and he deserves them and even more. Hence, he also doesn’t feel indebted to his father for the good he received from him. It’s even possible that the son will become angry at the father for not giving him even more of what he wants.

Says Rav Chaim, the same applies to the gifts we receive from Hashem. One may be a recipient of Hashem’s blessings and goodness. If he is wise, he knows that Hashem owes him nothing, and all the good he receives are gifts that Hashem—from His abundant kindness—gives him. Hence, this person would respond with tremendous thanks to Hashem for all the good that Hashem bestowed upon him.

The farmer’s declaration includes mentioning the past—how Lavan sought to annihilate our forefather Yaakov, the bitter experiences in Egypt, etc. What’s the significance of mentioning the hardships of the past? Rav Chaim seems to explain that remembering the bitter times before one achieved salvation is an essential feature of thanks, because then the thanks will be felt and expressed with far more joy and emotion.

So the pasuk (quoted earlier) states, “You shall be happy with all the goodness that Hashem, your God, has given you,” thus teaching us—as Rav Chaim seems to explain—that this declaration in which the farmer essentially expresses his thanks to Hashem will then trigger an abundance of goodness—both in the realm of physicality/materialism as well as in the realm of spirituality—to be bestowed upon the world [for us and all of Am Yisrael (Eved HaMelech)] (See Be’er Mayim Chaim, Ki Tavo 26:4,5 & 11, and Eved HaMelech, Ki Tavo 26:5).

This insight can perhaps reveal the power of appreciating and thanking Hashem for the good we have and may also teach us that doing so may cause us (and others) to be showered with even more blessing and success.

Indeed, the pasuk (Tehillim 107:8) states, “Let them give thanks to Hashem for His kindness, and His wonders to the children of man,” and the Shelah HaKadosh (Pesachim 161) seems to explain that when one will “give thanks to Hashem for His kindness,” meaning, when one will thank Hashem for a kindness that He performed for him, then that will cause more abundance [of goodness]—i.e., “His wonders”—to be bestowed upon him.

Developing appreciation and thanking Hashem may not only enable us to derive more satisfaction from the good that we already have, it perhaps may also merit us to receive even more blessings and goodness from Hashem.

Binyamin Benji is a graduate of Yeshivas Rabbeinu Yitzchak Elchanan, and Wurzweiler School of Social Work