Thanksgiving and the Glory of G-D

Thanksgiving and the Glory of G-D

In reality when you give thanks to HASHEM, you are giving glory to HASHEM.  This is a particular kind of glory and it is denoted by the Hebrew word הוד

 ה      a letter in the name of HASHEM

 ו           a letter in the name of HASHEM

ד    the name of this letter can mean DOOR

This word is pronounced in English with a long O –hode, but it will be written as HOD.

This word can mean glory but it carries with it a variety of connotations and inferences.

 Sometimes it connotes royal majesty.

Sometimes it connotes excellent splendor.

Sometimes it connotes beautiful grandeur.

Sometimes it connotes several or even all of these attributes at once.

We can ascertain these connotations and inferences by observing how the word Hod הוד is used in the Scriptures.  They are all aspects of the glory of HASHEM.

O HASHEM, our Lord,

 How excellent is your name in all the earth,

Who has set your glory upon the heavens!

Psalm 104:2    תהלים קד:נ

יְהוָה אֲדֹנֵינוּ מָה־אַדִּיר שִׁמְךָ בְּכָל־הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר תְּנָה הוֹדְךָ עַל־הַשָּׁמָיִם

Psalm 8:2     תהלים ח:ב

Let them praise the name of HASHEM

For His name alone is exalted

His glory is upon the earth and the heavens.

יְהַלְלוּ אֶת־שֵׁם יְהוָה כִּי־נִשְׂגָּב שְׁמוֹ לְבַדּוֹ הוֹדוֹ עַל־אֶרֶץ וְשָׁמָיִם

Psalm 148:13    תהלים קמח:יג

Bless HASHEM, O my soul. O HASHEM my God, you are very great; You are clothed with splendor and majesty:

בָּרֲכִי נַפְשִׁי אֶת־יְהוָה יְהוָה אֱלֹהַי גָּדַלְתָּ מְּאֹד הוֹד וְהָדָר לָבָשְׁתָּ

Psalm 104:1   תהלים קד:א

For all the gods of the peoples are idols; But HASHEM made the heavens.

Royal majesty and beauty are before Him: Strength and splendor are in His sanctuary

כִּי כָּל־אֱלֹהֵי הָעַמִּים אֱלִילִים וַיהוָה שָׁמַיִם עָשָׂה

הוֹד־וְהָדָר לְפָנָיו עֹז וְתִפְאֶרֶת בְּמִקְדָּשׁוֹ

Psalm 96:6   תהלים צו:ו

I will talk about the holy beauty and the glory of your splendid royal majesty

הֲדַר כְּבוֹד הוֹדֶךָ וְדִבְרֵי נִפְלְאוֹתֶיךָ אָשִׂיחָה

Psalm 145:5   תהלים קמה:ה

All these magnificent attributes of HASHEM  are at the very center of the Hebrew word for Thanksgiving!  The root of the word is HOD הוד!  When a person gives thanks, he or she is reflecting the very attributes of HASHEM.  And out of this flows GOODNESS!  HASHEM IS GOOD and everything that He does is GOOD.  For this reason Psalm 92 declares:

[A Psalm, a Song. for the Sabbath day.]

It is a GOOD THING to GIVE THANKS to HASHEM

And to sing praises to your name, O MOST HIGH

מִזְמוֹר שִׁיר לְיוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת

טוֹב לְהֹדוֹת לַיהוָה וּלְזַמֵּר לְשִׁמְךָ עֶלְיוֹן

HOD הוד is also at the center of the core being of every Jew. In the name Judah

יהודה

notice that the three center letters are הוד HOD, and the first and the last letters are י  YOD AND ה HEH.  These two letters when put together form

יה

 A Holy Name of HASHEM.

HASHEM ALSO SAYS THAT HE IS THE FIRST AND THE LAST,

THE BEGINNING AND THE END.

For this reason Psalm 91 declares:

He that dwells in the secret place of the Most High

 Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

יֹשֵׁב בְּסֵתֶר עֶלְיוֹן בְּצֵל שַׁדַּי יִתְלוֹנָן

 In the wilderness the tabernacle was placed in the CENTER, with the twelve tribes of Israel.

Also in the land of Judah יהודה is where Jerusalem, the capital of Israel, is situated.

There the two Holy Temples were built.

 The Messiah המשיח sprang out of the tribe of Judah יהודה..

Now for all who believe in the Messiah Yeshua המשיח ישוע, He comes and cleanses you from all your sins and all your iniquities, and comes and dwells inside you, giving you eternal life.  As it is written:

And I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.

A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh

And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and you shall keep my ordinances, and do them.

וְזָרַקְתִּי עֲלֵיכֶם מַיִם טְהוֹרִים וּטְהַרְתֶּם מִכֹּל טֻמְאוֹתֵיכֶם וּמִכָּל־גִּלּוּלֵיכֶם אֲטַהֵר אֶתְכֶם

וְנָתַתִּי לָכֶם לֵב חָדָשׁ וְרוּחַ חֲדָשָׁה אֶתֵּן בְּקִרְבְּכֶם וַהֲסִרֹתִי אֶת־לֵב הָאֶבֶן מִבְּשַׂרְכֶם וְנָתַתִּי לָכֶם לֵב בָּשָׂר

וְאֶת־רוּחִי אֶתֵּן בְּקִרְבְּכֶם וְעָשִׂיתִי אֵת אֲשֶׁר־בְּחֻקַּי תֵּלֵכוּ וּמִשְׁפָּטַי תִּשְׁמְרוּ וַעֲשִׂיתֶם

Ezekiel 36:25-27    יחזקאל לו:כה-כז

 Again it is written in the Torah:

HASHEM your G-d will circumcise your heart, and the heart of your seed, to love HASHEM your G-d with all your heart, and with all your soul, that you may live.

וּמָל יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֶת־לְבָבְךָ וְאֶת־לְבַב זַרְעֶךָ לְאַהֲבָה אֶת־יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ בְּכָל־לְבָבְךָ וּבְכָל־נַפְשְׁךָ לְמַעַן חַיֶּיךָ:

Deuteronomy 30:6   דברים ל:ו

 It is written:

Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion; for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of you, decrees HASHEM.

רָנִּי וְשִׂמְחִי בַּת־צִיּוֹן כִּי הִנְנִי־בָא וְשָׁכַנְתִּי בְתוֹכֵךְ נְאֻם־יְהוָה

Zechariah 2:14  זכריה ב:יד

The HEART is the DOOR or the GATE to the SOUL.  When you open your heart to the Messiah Yeshua and invite Him to come in, then the Messiah המשיח and HASHEM will enter and dwell within your soul.  As it is written:

Lift up your heads, O you gates; And be lifted up, you everlasting doors: And the King of glory will come in.

Who is the King of glory? HASHEM strong and mighty, HASHEM mighty in battle.

Lift up your heads, O you gates; Yea, lift them up, you everlasting doors: And the King of glory will come in.

Who is this King of glory? HASHEM of hosts, He is the King of glory.

שְׂאוּ שְׁעָרִים רָאשֵׁיכֶם וְהִנָּשְׂאוּ פִּתְחֵי עוֹלָם וְיָבוֹא מֶלֶךְ הַכָּבוֹד

מִי זֶה מֶלֶךְ הַכָּבוֹד יְהוָה עִזּוּז וְגִבּוֹר יְהוָה גִּבּוֹר מִלְחָמָה

שאוּ שְׁעָרִים רָאשֵׁיכֶם וּשְׂאוּ פִּתְחֵי עוֹלָם וְיָבֹא מֶלֶךְ הַכָּבוֹד

מִי הוּא זֶה מֶלֶךְ הַכָּבוֹד יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת הוּא מֶלֶךְ הַכָּבוֹד סֶלָה

Psalm 24: 7-10    תהלים כד: ז-י

This parallels Jerusalem and the Holy Temple.  Thanksgiving to HASHEM prepares your heart to enter into the Holy Place and the Holy Presence of HASHEM.

Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving

נְקַדְּמָה פָנָיו בְּתוֹדָה

Psalm 95:2   תהלים צה:ב

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise: Give thanks unto Him, and bless His name.

בֹּאוּ שְׁעָרָיו בְּתוֹדָה חֲצֵרֹתָיו בִּתְהִלָּה הוֹדוּ־לוֹ בָּרֲכוּ שְׁמוֹ

Psalm 100:4   תהלים ק:ד

Thanksgiving places the soul in a position of humility and submission to HASHEM and His attributes.   Appreciation opens the doors of the soul and moves a person into a place of faith and receptivity to all the mighty works of HASHEM.  Thanksgiving causes the soul to bless HASHEM.

Give thanks unto Him, and bless His name.

הוֹדוּ־לוֹ בָּרֲכוּ שְׁמוֹ

Psalm 100:4   תהלים ק:ד

Thanksgiving to HASHEM emanates His GOOONESS.

O give thanks unto HASHEM; for He is good

הוֹדוּ לַיהוָה כִּי־טוֹב

Psalm 118:1    תהלים קיח:א

Thanksgiving opens the DOOR of the soul to the MERCY of HASHEM:

O give thanks unto HASHEM;  For His MERCY endures forever

הוֹדוּ לַיהוָה כִּי־טוֹב כִּי לְעוֹלָם חסְדּוֹ

Psalm 118:1    תהלים קיח:א

Thanksgiving can proceed from the HOLINESS of HASHEM:

Be glad in HASHEM, you righteous; And give thanks at the remembrance of His HOLINESS..

שִׂמְחוּ צַדִּיקִים בַּיהוָה וְהוֹדוּ לְזֵכֶר קָדְשׁוֹ

Psalm 97:12    תהלים צז:יב

Thanksgiving dwells in the secret of the upright and the congregation

Praise HASHEM. I will give thanks to HASHEM with my whole heart, In the secret of the upright, and in the congregation.

הַלְלוּ יָהּ אוֹדֶה יְהוָה בְּכָל־לֵבָב בְּסוֹד יְשָׁרִים וְעֵדָה

Psalm 111:1    תהלים קיא:א  :

Thanksgiving is in the mouth of the MESSIAH YESHUA ישוע המשיח when He spoils principalities and powers and triumphs over them.

I will give you thanks with my whole heart: Against the gods will I sing praises to you.

אוֹדְךָ בְכָל־לִבִּי נֶגֶד אֱלֹהִים אֲזַמְּרֶךָּ

Psalm 138:1   תהלים קלח:א

Thanksgiving can be accompanied by musical instruments, especially the Kinor כינור:

Give thanks to HASHEM with the harp:

הוֹדוּ לַיהוָה בְּכִנּוֹר

Psalm 33:2    תהלים לג:ב

Sing unto HASHEM with thanksgiving; Sing praises upon the harp to our G-d,

עֱנוּ לַיהוָה בְּתוֹדָה זַמְּרוּ לֵאלֹהֵינוּ בְכִנּוֹר

Psalm 147:7  תהלים קמז:ז

And we have an instrument of ten strings: OUR HANDS.

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