In Thanks
My relationship with Jewish people goes back to my childhood. I had Jewish classmates, and the joy of attending both a bar mitzvah and a bat mitzvah. My local gym was the Jewish Community Center in Irvine, CA, where as a shaggy-haired 14 year old I first learned to exercise including, comically, the occasional pilates class with middle-aged Jewish mothers.
I’ve had many Jewish friends and mentors who’ve taught me wisdom, shown me kindness, and brought me joy throughout my life.
I owe much to Jewish people.
Being Korean-American, I grew up in the Christian faith. I left religion in my teenage years and, in my mid-twenties, began meandering my way back to God, guided in part by my interest in Judaism.
Thou Shall Prosper, a book by Rabbi Daniel Lapin, completely realigned my paradigm on wealth. The social and educational environments I grew up in, especially after arriving to Vermont for boarding school and Middlebury College, cultivated within me a limited understanding of wealth.
This book helped me see that honestly-earned wealth, while only one measure of value, can be a way to measure the value we have brought to others. After all, someone would only part with their money in exchange for our product or service they feel is greater in value than the money they are parting with.
In short, wealth can be a reflection of the value we have brought to others. Lessons such as this, the concept of bringing light to the world during Hanukkah, honoring Shabbat, and the Modeh Ani prayer have brought immeasurable blessing to my life.
Modeh Ani is a short Jewish prayer traditionally recited upon waking. It is a prayer of gratitude to God for returning the soul to the body and giving us another day of life. There is something profoundly inspiring in God’s faith in us, that we might be given a new chance each day to pursue a righteous life.
Modeh Ani is the perfect reminder to never take life for granted, and to meet each day with gratitude. To be awake at all is a gift.
The idea for the app came from my desire to navigate two challenges: remembering to say Modeh Ani in the first moments of waking and not having to recite this prayer over the harsh sound of a traditional alarm clock.
So, I built this app.
In the spirit of the innumerable Jews who have shown me generosity, I thought it would be a nice gift to share in return to the community. I recruited two friends of mine from where I live in Vermont, Fez and Mateo, to do the Hebrew recitations.
So, as I give thanks to God every morning in saying Modeh Ani, I now say thanks to the Jewish people who have brought light to my life.
Best,Senator Rocket