Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Is Thanksgiving Jewish?

Of Turkey, Leah and the Jewish People
Rivy Poupko Kletenik

Connect the dots; Matriarch Leah, turkeys, and the Jewish people. Hint - they come together in November, forming an odd Chagall-like mosaic entitled Thanksgiving. The holiday I love to skip. Well, almost skip. No turkey, no big meal. We plan a very low key family day with little time in the kitchen. I do not do serious cooking on Thanksgiving - instead our family throws something together quickly, after all it is Thursday. And, if it is Thursday, it is humble macaroni and cheese night. The night before Shabbat generally is a night for modest dinners, this contrast adds to the honor and sparkle of the glorious Shabbat meal on Friday night.
As a first generation American, I appreciate this country and recognize that Thanksgiving is a good thing, a wonderful American celebration so I cannot cast it aside entirely. But still, why the day before Shabbat? Not good planning. Confident that George Washington, signer of the Thanksgiving Proclamation on November 26, 1789, would not mind, I simply slide our Thanksgiving over one day. I prepare turkey and stuffing, which then appear along with chicken soup, matzo balls and gefilte fish for dinner Friday night, a Jewish Thanksgiving, if you will.
And, Jewish it should be. Giving thanks is the very essence of who we are. The word Jew comes from the name Judah the largest tribe and the majority of Israelites at the time of the Babylonian Exile. Judah means to give thanks. Here is how the name was given. Judah was the fourth son of Jacob and Leah. Upon his birth Matriarch Leah declares joyfully, “This time I will thank God”. The name reflects a very special gratitude. Listen to what Rabbi Yochanan says in the name of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai about this gratitude, “From the day that God created His world there was no human who thanked Him as it says, ‘this time I will thank God’.
Leah is the first person to walk this earth, and turn to her maker and say a simple thank you, she teaches us gratitude. One would think that she of all the matriarchs would be the least likely to thank. Compelled to marry the beloved of her sister she might have been tempted to embrace bitterness - instead she teaches us all to be grateful, to appreciate what we have. Her “thank you” becomes the name Judah, the name of the Jewish people.
Names are more than labels, they reflect the true identity and reveal the essence of an individual. How marvelous it is that our people’s name reflects the particular noble quality of gratitude. To be a Jew is to give thanks.
Thankfulness is no simple matter. In Hebrew the word for thanks is l’hodot, the same word for admitting, confessing, as in the Viddui confession at Yom Kippur. I suppose that a sincere thank you involves a little of both, making the giving of thanks a bit of a humbling experience. It involves the admission of need and the recognition of gratitude. It is a tremendous deed to say thank you, and sometimes not an easy one.
Though difficult, thanking God can and should be the very elixir of life. The first words that roll off our tongues upon waking each morning, are words of gratitude, “modeh ani lephanecha”, I gratefully thank You for returning my soul. Our siddur, prayer book is telling us something interesting, to be a wakeful human is to greet each day with gratitude.
We’ve got Jew and Judah, Matriarch Leah, on to the bird. Turkey on Shabbat Thanksgiving is a perfect fit. The word for turkey in Hebrew is tarnigol hodu - the bird of the Indians - now, you and I both know that l’hodot means to give thanks - tarnigol hodu, hmm…the bird of thanks? Why not? A perfect food for Shabbat.
For me in a sense, Thanksgiving falls on Shabbat every week not just one November. Here’s how. Each day after morning prayers we state the day of the week and recall what the Levites would recite in the Holy Temple which was a specific Psalm designated for each of the days of the week. On Shabbat we say Psalm 92, “A psalm a song for the Sabbath day, It is good to give thanks to God”, Tov L’hodot Lhashem. Shabbat and giving thanks come together naturally; a day of rest and a day to think lofty thoughts, to look around and appreciate life’s gifts. There is nothing more sublime than gratitude and nothing as ugly as thanklessness.
Well, we have connected the dots; Matriarch Leah, turkeys and the Jewish people. In spite of the connections I am not going to lead a movement to switch Thanksgiving to Friday night. If your family’s tradition is to celebrate Thanksgiving on Thursday that is wonderful - if invited I would even join you. Rabbinic teachings are on your side and have examined the modern phenomenon of observing Thanksgiving and have given it their ok. Thanksgiving on Thursday can also be Jewish. When celebrating Thanksgiving, think about making it a Jewish experience. Here are some ideas: a D’var Torah on the theme of giving thanks would be appropriate, calling to mind the unique place America has in our history is a gracious act of thankfulness, reciting the appropriate blessings before the foods and of course a Jewish flavor on the menu always helps.
I will stick with Thanksgiving on Friday night. It leads me to link American culture to our ancient traditions and values. Our name reflects our collective Jewish soul, it is a spirit, the very breath of gratitude that dances deep within us. Jew, Judah, giving thanks - the most eloquent of words. On this Thanksgiving, as on every day let us give thanks for all our blessings, for a country which has a designated a day to give thanks, for mornings that bring life and for Shabbats that teach us to say - we can’t ever say thank you enough.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Due to various styles and colors of UGG boots and UGG shoes, you'll be able to match your mood plus your clothes. If you have no idea about whether boots you want are real or not, it is advisable not to purchase them. In addition, whenever you seem at the labels for your manufacturing site, you really should bear in mind that this labels which exhibit "Manufactured in China" are authentic, and many others are counterfeits.

Take a look at my weblog - http://www.puradabagsjp.com

Anonymous said...

There are various online auction sites that you can check out every so often if you wanted to have the
best prices on your uggs. The artist material moisture from
you, ensure that it stays cold and dry. Delicately wipe it employing
a damp material, will not brush it fiercely that includes a
brush, don't melt away these shoes with boiled water, and do not use washing detergent and alkaline cleaning fluid to scrub it in the same time.

Also visit my web-site; http://www.waribikisaifupurada.com

Anonymous said...

Many celebrities happen to be fascinated with all the retro looks
of these boots, for instance, Oprah, Paris Hilton,
Pamela Anderson and Kate Hudson etc. There are numerous types for babies, though
the very top of the favorites list include:.
What most are finding are imitation, fake UGG Boots.


Feel free to visit my website www.puradahandbagstsuuhan.com

Anonymous said...

Many customers have stated that once they have ordered these
counterfeit, fake, imitation UGG's, they will arrive in a very plain, brown box that looked battered. There are numerous types for babies, nevertheless the very top of the favorites list include:. And utilization in the preserving stratum inside the knock-off might be a easy preventative pelage - not the genuine authenticated guy who is able to conflict users; the assembly is her toes when her vernacular users of sea boots check within the U.

My web page ... http://www.shinsakubaggupurada.com/

Anonymous said...

Many celebrities have been fascinated while using retro
looks of these boots, for example, Oprah, Paris Hilton,
Pamela Anderson and Kate Hudson etc. When it comes to probably the
most styling infant, dress your kids in uggs.
The unique qualities in the sheepskin mean which they
will keep your feet warm in even coldest of weather, but when you use them in summer they will not overheat your foot.


My weblog; プラダ

Anonymous said...

Emu Boots sale up to 50%, and in the event you pay for just two couples of uk ugg boot,
many surplus treats is going to be offered. People of each and every class and
level can simply get these because their prices are of every range.
And reproductions may possibly appearance in the same
way terrific.

Here is my blog: プラダ バッグ

Anonymous said...

There is much surprise this type of simply just released sorts
are listed below: uggs estimates boots mayfair footwear girls java Highkoo Microsof corporation 5450 fight-style exceptional.

The artist material moisture from the feet, ensure
that is stays cold and dry. Regardless of what your first options are, UGG Classic Short
you can find in the UGG boot.

Feel free to surf to my web page; プラダ バッグ

Anonymous said...

Just as the name implies, these ugg boot are from Australia,
which are crafted from twin-tier merino wool. Buy cheap UGG
boots visit: When you are looking for purchasing these
boots, world-wide-web retailers offer all of them with lower prices than these from local sellers.
The unique qualities with the sheepskin mean that they will keep the feet
warm in even the coldest of weather, but that when
you put them on in summer they will not likely overheat your
foot.

Here is my page www.tsuuhanpuradabaggu.com

Anonymous said...

If you disregarded the Ugg guidelines and wore your boots
in water, otherwise you dropped liquid on the boot, you may have stains along your boots.

These kinds of Ugg Boots Clearance can be found in 2 colors from a store at
fine sand at the same time as saying. Nevertheless, with super delicate
ease and convenience, increased desire, and wintertime season approaching, you can still discover some very nice provides.


Feel free to surf to my website; プラダ 店舗

Anonymous said...

Emu Boots sale around 50%, and in the event you pay for just two
couples of uk uggs, many surplus treats will likely be offered.
And recollection, they might eventually be willful Worn tedium without situation, so
the graduate can perform their job. As a result of peculiarity
around the physical appearance of a pair of boots, a
lot of people will not likely want to use them upfront of.


Here is my web blog ... プラダ