More than 260 years ago at the Touro Synagogue in Newport, RI, Rabbi Isaac Touro gave what is believed to be the first Hebrew Thanksgiving sermon praising England’s King George III for protecting Newport’s Jews. There have been many ups and downs in our nation since then, but Rabbi Touro’s sermon foreshadowed what would become the extraordinary thriving of American Jews in this great country.

Rabbi Touro’s words of thanksgiving are a reminder that there are leaders who show up to serve, get things done, and make our lives better. We saw this yesterday here in Massachusetts, when the Special Commission on Combatting Antisemitism — the first of its kind in the country — approved a set of recommendations that, if implemented effectively, will help fight back against the frightening rise of antisemitism and serve as a national model.

I am so grateful to the whole Commission, especially to the Chairs — Rep. Simon Cataldo and Sen. John Velis — and to Speaker Ronald Mariano, Senate President Karen Spilka, and Gov. Maura Healey for their unwavering support.

In the same spirit of thanksgiving, my family has a weekly Shabbat tradition that we call “highlights.” Every Friday night, everyone at the table shares one highlight, or bright spot, from the week.

When my children were younger, one of them would inevitably ask, “Can I share a lowlight?”

“No,” we would respond, “that defeats the purpose of highlights.”

Or they would say, “I don’t have a highlight this week,” to which we would respond that everyone has at least one highlight. Just look a little harder.

The theory of positive psychology teaches that seeing good in the world isn’t a feeling; it is a skill that can be learned and practiced. When we practice the habit of recognizing and appreciating goodness, we can cultivate a virtuous cycle of positivity, happiness, and resilience.

Spiritual traditions have understood and expressed this idea in different ways. Judaism teaches that we should make 100 blessings every day. When we make a blessing, we express gratitude even for the small things in life that we take for granted — for simple tasks like waking up in the morning, for the food we eat, and that our body is working properly.

For Rabbi Touro and early Jewish immigrants to this country, and for generations of American Jews since then, this includes blessings of thanksgiving to live and thrive in this great country. This really resonates with me this week, and I think the work of the Commission will be my Shabbat highlight with my family.

The upcoming Thanksgiving holiday is an opportunity to pause, reflect, and recognize the good in our lives. I am so grateful to be part of this extraordinary Jewish community and to all of you for being on this journey with me.