By Rabbi Avi Pollack, Valley Village Community Kollel
In this week’s Parsha, Parshas Vayetzei, we find when Leah gave birth to Yehuda, her fourth son, she says, “‘ה את אודה הפעם”. The Gemara in Brachos, Daf Zayin Amud Bais says, “From the day Hashem created the world, there was no man that praised Hashem, until Leah said this praise”.
The obvious question is no one praised Hashem before Leah came around? Didn’t the Avos praise Hashem? What was so special about Leah’s tribute that the Gemara can say no one praised Hashem like her?
Perhaps we can answer this question with a famous concept. It takes 3 times for something to become a Chazakah. For example, the first 3 times an animal gores, the owner only has to pay half the damage since his animal is not considered wild. (If one’s animal is wild and does damage, the owner is required to compensate fully.) After 3 times if the animal gores again, it becomes a wild animal and it’s owner has to pay the full amount for the damage.
We see from here that after 3 times a person becomes a muchzak in something.
With this concept in mind, we can learn something amazing from Leah.
The first few times one has good coming his way, he would have a natural feeling of gratitude and thanks to Hashem. He might not of expected the gift and therefor appreciates it so much. After the third time, his attitude might’ve changed and besides for not appreciating it as much, he might even feel entitled to it.
Leah’s Hodaah teaches us that everything is from Hashem and we should never feel entitled. After having her fourth child, she still felt the same appreciation and thanked Hashem once again saying, “This time I will thank Hashem!”
Now we can understand what the Gemara is referring to when it says from the day Hashem created the world, no one gave such thanks. The uniqueness of Leah’s praise was that by the birth of her fourth child, she still was thanking Hashem fully with her whole heart.