At this time in our secular year, we are supposed to be thankful. Of course, we should be thankful all year round. Our Jewish tradition has almost endless ways to say thank you.

The book that I’d like to bring to your attention is not a specifically Jewish book, but its premise of thankfulness is very Jewish.

A.J. Jacobs has made a literary career of immersing himself in a topic: He’s spent a year living biblically, which he describes in The Year of Living Biblically: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible. He has attempted to live as the Founding Fathers did, which he writes about in The Year of Living Constitutionally: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Constitution’s Original Meaning. He’s tried to become a know-it-all by reading his way through an entire encyclopedia in The Know-It-All: One Man’s Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World.

In 2018, inspired by a conversation with his then 10-year-old son, he decided to be thankful, and in Thanks a Thousand: A Gratitude Journey sets out to thank everyone associated with the cup of coffee purchased at Joe Coffee, his local coffee shop.

From the owner of the shop to the manufacturer of the cup to the farmers and distributors, Jacobs discovers how intricate the world of the simplest thing is. It is almost overwhelming but also illuminating as the reader realizes how interconnected our world and its bounty are. Jacobs says,”If we connected the world with threads signifying gratitude, the result would be as thick as a blanket.”

And how grateful people are to be noticed and thanked. You may not want to rush to the nearest coffee bar to say thank you, but as we approach Thanksgiving, you might be inspired to be more appreciative of whoever puts food on the table in your home.

As Rabbi Nachman of Breslov taught, giving thanks for even the smallest thing is important. For him, gratitude was a path to joy and connection with God.