You Don’t Have to Do Everything. Just Something.
If you’ve ever woken up already feeling behind—like Jewish life is a giant mountain and you’re still sitting at the base of it—you’re not alone.
One of the most powerful things I’ve learned on this path is this: You don’t need to do everything to start building a Jewish life. You just need to do something.
And one of the most beautifully simple ways to begin? Modeh Ani.
It’s a morning practice just one sentence long. A quiet thank you. A moment of intention before the phone, before the noise, before the guilt.
You can say it in Hebrew. You can say it in English. You can stumble through the pronunciation. You can whisper it half-asleep. The point isn’t perfection—it’s presence.
These are the kinds of grounding, doable practices we explore together in my membership, Bayit Builders. Because Jewish life doesn’t start with a leap. It starts with a breath.
Membership is paused in Bayit Builders right now, but the doors will reopen on Rosh Chodesh Elul, August 24, 2025. Get on the waitlist here.
Transcript below.
Transcript:
You don’t need to do everything to start building a Jewish life. You just need to do something.
You just need a moment of intention, even one sentence.
Modeh Ani is one of those deceptively simple practices that can rewire your whole day.
When you wake up in the morning, you pause and say, ” thank you. I’m alive.”
Start your day with grounding, not guilt.
Before you check your phone, before the chaos begins.
That alone can change everything.
What a great way to start your day: with gratitude.
You can say it in English or Hebrew, whatever works best for you.
Here’s how it goes in Hebrew Modeh Ani for a man, for a woman.
Don’t worry about your pronunciation. It’s fine if it’s terrible, God gets it.
Translation: ” I give thanks before you, living and eternal One, for you have returned my soul to me with compassion. Great is Your faithfulness.”
This is the kind of simple, soulful habit that we explore together in my new membership program Bayit Builders.
Because Jewish life starts with one small yes.
One practice, one moment, one step.
Bayit means home, but not just a house.
A spiritual home, a life you’re building brick by brick.
Practices like Modeh Ani are the foundation.
Small, steady moments that shape the Jewish life you’re growing into.
When you start your day with Modeh Ani, you’re not just saying thanks,
you’re saying, “I’m here. I matter. I’m building something sacred.”
Bayit Builders is about starting exactly where you are,
and Modeh Ani, it’s the easiest first step you can take.
This is how we begin. One breath, one sentence, one sunrise at a time.
Say it with me tomorrow morning or tomorrow afternoon, or whenever you remember. Start somewhere. We all gotta start somewhere.
Want more small steps that actually stick and the support to help you get there? Bayit builders is open now, but only for a few more days. This is your chance to become a Founding Member and help shape what this becomes. Go to the link in bio to join.
