Seeds of Thanks Preserve Tradition

From time to time I will devote my column to relatively little-known Jewish customs.
While much of Jewish life is governed by Jewish law, there are many interesting Jewish customs that supplement the law.  Jan. 23 is a special Sabbath, called Shabbat Shirah”— the Sabbath of the song.
The Bible reading for this day includes the song that Moses and the children of Israel sang after crossing the Sea of Reeds, (Exodus 15).
In the biblical story we also find the fascinating account of the heavenly food called manna which fell from the sky and nurtured the Israelites for 40 years. Some of the Israelites tried to gather the manna on the Sabbath, which was specifically noted by Moses as prohibited (the Sabbath being a day of complete rest).
Jewish legend tells us that two men, Datan and Aviram, hoping to discredit Moses as leader, went out late Friday night and spread some of their left over manna around the camp. The next morning (the Sabbath) they went throughout the camp and told the people to go out and discover that Moses was wrong and that there was ample manna available to gather on the holy Sabbath.
However, they were foiled in this plot by birds which flew over the camp early in the morning and ate all the manna that had been left around it. When the people went looking for the manna, it was Datan and Aviram who were discredited.
Over the centuries a custom developed for Jews to put out bird seed or bread crumbs on the eve of the Sabbath of the Song in order to express appreciation to the birds that acted in order to preserve the honor and respect of Moses as leader.
Now the birds that we see today are certainly not the birds that ate the manna to preserve the honor of Moses and the honor of the holy Sabbath. Nevertheless, there are Jewish people that continue to pay tribute to “all birds” by commemorating the occasion and “rewarding” them for their good deed. 
This takes the Jewish concept of hakarat hatov — expressing gratitude for goodness, to a very high level. It is a beautiful custom, often observed with children and grandchildren along with the recitation of this biblical story and presentation of this lesson.
But as always, there is more to the story than just the story. If the lesson of expressing gratitude for goodness pertains to the descendants of wild birds 3,300 years later all over the world, how much more should we focus our efforts to fulfill the religious obligation of expressing gratitude concerning people who do favors and other good things for us? 
In this fast paced world of ours, it is all too easy to forget or take for granted the things people do for us. The Five Books of Moses and our tradition teach us that this cannot be. We must be aware that there are others around us and that we live in a society.
We are not “entitled” to favors from others without due appreciation and recognition for the benefits we so willingly accept.
This Sabbath, remember the birds. Think of this wonderful custom (and consider putting out seeds or breadcrumbs with your children and grandchildren) before the Sabbath. Then think of the people who have done favors for you recently. Maybe even call someone and say thanks. Truth be told, it’s not strictly for the birds. 
Rabbi Ron Isaacs is Interim Rabbi of Beth Judah Temple, Wildwood.