From the Rabbi's Table

I must admit that few days are as nice as Thanksgiving for a rabbinic family. No serious synagogue duties, the theme is an easy fit with Jewish spirituality, and the traditional festive meal of the day is even kosher. Plus, there isn't even any Shabbat problem. It is as if we Jews thought up the holiday to begin with. Finally, as a Dallas Cowboys fan I always have a game I want to watch.

Actually, we Jews do have much to do with the festival of Thanksgiving. It was first established by the deeply religious Puritans, who relied on the Jewish Bible (they called it the Old Testament) for their inspiration. They saw the holiday of Sukkot at the time of the harvest in ancient Israel as a festival of thanksgiving. Really they were quite on the mark. The dwelling in sukkot was a way for ancient Jewish farmers to be intimately connected to their harvest and literally surrounded by God's blessing. The lulav and etrog [along with the willow and myrtle ] were gathered together perhaps as a sign of our gratitude for the variety of the bounty of the land of Israel . These Christian “pilgrims” were building the “New Israel” and so felt that a bountiful harvest demanded their own festival of -Thanksgiving..

Even more in the spirit of Jewish life is the role of family in the Thanksgiving celebration. There is something truly remarkable from a Jewish perspective about seeing our country all sit down to a yom tov meal, family by family, on the fourth Thursday afternoon of November. It even feels a bit like there should be a Kiddush to recite. (Obviously there isn't.)

Nevertheless, you should feel particularly proud of the comfortable relationship between our American and Jewish identities on Thanksgiving. When you sit down this year please consider including the appropriate berachot with the beginning and end of every Jewish meal. (Especially the – borey peri hagafen - over wine, the Hamotzi lehem min haaretz over the bread, and the first paragraph of the grace after meals) Also, you may choose to read a prayer of Jewish thanksgiving from the siddur or an appropriate selection from the Bible. Perhaps Psalm 100, known as the Psalm of Thanksgiving, says it best:

A Psalm of Thanksgiving:

Sing to God all the earth, serve God in joy, come before Adonai in song.

Know that Adonai is God, God made us and we are God's people and flock.

Come to Adonai's gates in thanks, to God's courtyards in praise;

praise and bless God's Name.

For God is good and divine love is forever;

And from one generation to the next Adonai's faithfulness endures.

Happy Turkey Day.

Congregation Beth El 109 East Ave Norwalk, CT 06851 203.838.2710 office@congbethel.org