Jews and Turkeys

History of Thanksgiving

The first Thanksgiving day celebration was held in response to the survival by the pilgrims of the particularly harsh winter of 1622/3. Not only did the colonists themselves celebrate, but food was sufficiently plenty that even the Indians with whom the colonists were at peace were invited. This celebration took place on July 30, 1623 (in the middle of the summer). Similar such celebrations occurred throughout the New England area throughout the 1600's. ⁽⁴⁾ However, they were only local (rather than national or even regional) celebrations of Thanksgiving -- and only to mark the end of a particularly difficult winter -- until 1789. ⁽⁵⁾

In 1789, Congressman Elias Boudinot of New Jersey proposed in Congress a resolution urging President Washington to:

• Recommend to the people of the United States a day of public Thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of the Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity to establish a Constitution of government for their safety and happiness. ⁽⁶⁾

After quite a debate, President Washington issued the first National Thanksgiving Proclamation, setting November 26, 1789 as Thanksgiving and a national holiday. Washington stated in his proclamation:

• Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquillity, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted; for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us. ⁽⁷⁾

• Notwithstanding the religious eloquence of Washington's words (and even perhaps because of their overtly religious theme ⁽⁸⁾) Thanksgiving did not become a national holiday. From 1790 to 1863 there were no national celebrations of Thanksgiving. Indeed, while proclamations of thanks were issued by some presidents, all of the presidents for more than the next seventy years chose to ignore the day as a national holiday of thanksgiving. ⁽⁹⁾

It was not until 1846, when the unity of the country was again in controversy because of the Missouri Compromise and the problems of slavery, that the celebration of Thanksgiving as a national holiday returned to the national agenda. From 1846 to 1863, Ms. Sara Joseph Hale, the editor of Godey's Lady Book ⁽¹⁰⁾ embarked on a campaign to turn Thanksgiving into a national holiday during which workers would not be required to go to work. Her campaign culminated in President Lincoln's Thanksgiving proclamation of 1863 -- the first such proclamation of a national Thanksgiving holiday since 1789. Since 1863, Thanksgiving has been celebrated as a national holiday and a day of rest at the end of November, either the fourth or fifth Thursday of the month. ⁽¹¹⁾

Shulchan Aruch Safed, Israel, Yosef Karo 1563, Yoreh Deah 178:1

(The most widely accepted compilation of Jewish law ever written)

"One [a Jew] should not follow the customs of non-Jews (nor should one try to resemble them). One should not wear clothing that is particular to them [i.e., their culture]; one should not grow forelocks on one’s head like the forelocks on their heads; one should not shave the sides [of one’s head] and grow one’s hair in the middle of one’s head [like they do]; one should not shave the hair in front of one’s face from ear to ear and let one’s hair grow [in the back] [like they do]; one should not build places [i.e., buildings]—like the non-Jews’ temples—so that large groups of people will enter them, like [non-Jews] do.

RAMA: Rather, one [i.e., a Jew] should be distinct from them [i.e., non-Jews] in one’s manner of dress and in all of one’s actions. But all of this [i.e., these restrictions] apply only to things that non-Jews do for the sake of licentiousness. For example, they are accustomed to wearing red clothing, which is official/princely clothing, and other clothing that is similarly immodest. [These restrictions also apply] to things that they are accustomed to doing because of a custom or rule that does not have a[ny underlying] reason, out of concern that [a Jew who does such things will follow the] “ways of the Amorites,” and that it has the blemish of [i.e., is tainted by] idol worship inherited from their ancestors. But things that they are accustomed to doing for a useful purpose—such as their custom for expert doctors to wear particular clothing so that the doctors will be recognized as specialists—one is permitted to wear [such clothing]. Similarly, things that are done out of respect or another reason, it is permitted [for one to do such things]. And therefore they said one may burn [the items of deceased] kings, and there is not in this “the ways of the Amorites.”

Rav Moshe Feinstein (was regarded by many as the supreme halakhic authority for Orthodox Jewry)

On the question of celebrating any event on a holiday of Gentiles, if the holiday is based on religious beliefs [by the Gentiles], such celebrations are prohibited if deliberately scheduled on that day; even without intent, it is prohibited because of marit ayin ⁽²⁴⁾ . . . The first day of year for them [January 1]⁽²⁵⁾ and Thanksgiving is not prohibited according to law, but pious people [balai nephesh] should be strict.

Rav Joeseph B. Soloveitchik (major American Orthodox Talmudist and modern Jewish philosopher)

It was the opinion of Rabbi Soloveitchik that it was permissible to eat turkey at the end of November, on the day of Thanksgiving. We understood that, in his opinion, there was no question that turkey did not lack a tradition of kashrut ⁽³⁶⁾ and that eating it on Thanksgiving was not a problem of imitating gentile customs. We also heard that this was the opinion of his father, Rabbi Moshe Soloveitchik.

Rav David Cohen (Rav Ha-Nazir - The Nazirite Rabbi was a talmudist, philosopher, and kabbalist)

The celebrating of Thanksgiving is something that has been disputed by many rabbis -- some prohibited and maintain that it is a derivative prohibition of idol worship and there are others who completely permit [its celebration]. In my opinion, to eat turkey for the sake of a holiday is prohibited by the rule of Tosafot, Avodah Zara 11a, since this is an irrational rule of theirs and following it is improper. Nonetheless, there is no prohibition for a family to get together on a day when people do not go to work and to eat together; if it is their wish to eat turkey not for the sake of thanks but because they like turkey, that is not prohibited, but the spirit of the Sages does not approve of such conduct, as they are functioning as if they follow the practice of Gentiles.

Issues Related to Celebrating Thanksgiving

Rabbi Michael J. Broyde (Academic Director of the Law and Religion Program Emory University)

The issue of adding a day of celebration to the Jewish calendar is referred to by both Rabbis Feinstein and Hutner and deserves elaboration.

• Rabbi Hutner asserts that the dating of such a holiday through the Christian calendar is clear evidence that such a holiday is "Gentile" in nature and thus prohibited. ⁽⁵¹⁾
• Rabbi Feinstein understands this problem differently. Rabbi Feinstein maintains that there are specific halachic problems associated with adding holidays to the Jewish calendar, independent of whether they are "secular", "Jewish," or "gentile." Indeed, these types of objections have been raised to the modern observances of Yom Hasho'a, Yom Ha'atzmaut, and Yom Yerushalayim, and have nothing necessarily to do with the presence of a Gentile origin. There is an extensive literature on this issue with many different opinions advanced.

Some authorities maintain, as Rabbi Feinstein appears to do, that it is absolutely prohibited to add holidays to the calendar as an annual observance.⁽⁵²⁾ These authorities rule that while individuals can annually celebrate such events on the day that they happen, these celebrations never get incorporated in the general Jewish calendar, and it is prohibited to do so. Others maintain that such events can only be incorporated in the calendar after they receive unanimous (perhaps multi-generational) rabbinic sanction. ⁽⁵³⁾ Yet others rule that every Jewish society can incorporate these days of thanksgiving (or mourning) to reflect significant manifestations of God's will toward the community. ⁽⁵⁴⁾ Yet others limit this to rituals that require no specialized blessings, and are technically permitted all year round. ⁽⁵⁵⁾ No consensus has developed on this issue and each community follows its own custom on this issue. ⁽⁵⁶⁾

However, in this author's opinion, a strong case can be made that this dispute is not really applicable to the way Thanksgiving is, in fact, celebrated in America, and that even those who flatly prohibit any additions to the Jewish calendar are not referring to the festivities of American Independence Day, Thanksgiving or Labor Day. Rather, these authorities are referring to the highly ritualized religious expressions of thanks to God that accompany days of religious observance, such as the services on Yom Ha-atzma'ut or the like. Thanksgiving, like Independence Day and Labor Day, lacks any ritualized prayer component, formal activities of any kind, obligatory liturgy or a festival (mo'ed) attitude. ⁽⁵⁷⁾ Even the holiday meal that many eat is not obligatory under American law. ⁽⁵⁸⁾ Given the way that the completely secular ⁽⁵⁹⁾ holidays are celebrated in this era in America, one would not think that any of them -- including Thanksgiving -- is an additional "festival" in the Jewish calendar. ⁽⁶⁰⁾

(1) Thanksgiving is a secular holiday with secular origins; (2) while some people celebrate Thanksgiving with religious rituals, the vast majority of Americans do not; (3) halacha permits one to celebrate secular holidays, so long as one avoids doing so with people who celebrate them through religious worship and (4) so long as one avoids giving the celebration of Thanksgiving the appearance of a religious rite (either by occasionally missing a year or in some other manner making it clear that this is not a religious duty) the technical problems raised by Rabbi Feinstein and others are inapplicable.

Thus, halacha law permits one to have a private Thanksgiving celebration with one's Jewish or secular friends and family. For reasons related to citizenship and the gratitude we feel towards the United States government, I would even suggest that such conduct is wise and proper.

Rabbi Bonnie Margulis (Reform)

Not only is it very possible to bring Judaism into Thanksgiving, in fact Thanksgiving very likely has its origins in the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. Many people believe that, when the pilgrims wanted to celebrate the fall harvest, they looked to the Hebrew Bible for inspiration, and took the idea of the fall harvest holiday of Sukkot as their model for the first Thanksgiving. I think there are many ways we can incorporate Jewish ideas and rituals into our Thanksgiving celebrations. First, it is entirely appropriate to say Ha-Motzi, the blessing over bread, at the beginning of the meal, and Birkat HaMazon, the blessing after a meal, at the end. Giving thanks to God for the bounty of the earth is a very Jewish thing to do, as is spending some time during the meal talking about the things we are grateful for in our lives. Time spent with family and friends reflect the Jewish values of family and community. The pilgrims came to America in search of religious freedom, something we Jews can relate to in a very particular way. This can be a focus of conversation at the Thanksgiving dinner table. It is also a great time to focus on the Jewish value of tzedakah, as many people take time in this season to help out those less fortunate, by volunteering at food banks and soup kitchens, running food drives, and raising funds for Mazon and other organizations that fight hunger year-round.

Rabbi Rebecca Sirbu (Conservative)

Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday because it focuses us on the things in life we have to be thankful for. Take a moment to think of those things for yourself. If you are like me, you may think of family, friends, a safe house to live in, and having plenty of food to eat. Many families have a Thanksgiving tradition of going around the table and having each person say something that they are thankful for before eating the festive meal. I find this tradition moving each year.

It is not a stretch to bring Judaism in to your Thanksgiving celebration since being grateful for what you have and saying thanks is a core value in the Jewish tradition. The prayer “Modeh ani Lifanecha” a prayer recited by religious Jews every morning upon waking up thanks God for the ability to wake up. Another prayer thanks God for allowing our bodies to function, and another thanks God for restoring our souls to us each morning. In fact, almost every blessing we utter is in fact a way so saying thank you to God.

Lets look at the Motzei, the prayer for eating bread “ Baruch ata adonai, melech ha olam, hamotzei lechem nim ha’aretz.” Blessed are you Adonai our God, ruler of the world, for bringing forth bread from the earth. We bless God and thank God for giving us bread. Therefore an easy way to bring Jewish traditions to your Thanksgiving table is to add some traditional Jewish blessings. I would recommend saying the blessing over the bread above. You can also bless wine, “Baruch ata adonai , melach haolam, boreh pri hagafen” Blessed are you Adonai our God, ruler of the world, for creating the fruit of the vine.

I would also recommend reciting the Shehechianu prayer. Which is “Blessed are you Adonai our God, ruler of the world, for sustaining us, and keeping us, and bringing us to this time.” I can’t think of a better Jewish prayer to recite in the spirit of Thanksgiving. Thank you God for bring us here, for allowing us to celebrate with friends and family, and for putting food on the table.

If none of these traditional prayers feels quite right to you, then by all means make up your own prayer. Judaism values prayers of thanksgiving said from your heart as much as the prayers we find in the prayer book.

Thanksgiving Supplement to Birkat Hamazon - blessing after meals

Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi (Renewal)

In the days of the Puritan pilgrims,
When they arrived in the land of their haven,
And suffered from hunger and cold,
And sang and prayed
To the Rock of their Salvation,
You stood by them in their time of trouble
And aroused the compassion
Of the native Indians,
Who gave them food, fowl and corn
And many other delicacies.
You saved them from starving and suffering,
And You showed them the ways of peace
With the inhabitants of the land.
Feeling gratitude, they established therefore
A day of Thanksgiving every year
For future generations to remember,
And they feed the unfortunate
With feasts of Thanksgiving.
Therefore do we also thank You
For all the goodness in our lives.
God of kindness, Lord of peace,
We thank You.

A Thanksgiving Prayer By Rabbi Naomi Levy

For the laughter of the children,

For my own life breath,

For the abundance of food on this table,

For the ones who prepared this sumptuous feast,

For the roof over our heads,

The clothes on our backs,

For our health,

And our wealth of blessings,

For this opportunity to celebrate with family and friends,

For the freedom to pray these words

Without fear,

In any language,

In any faith,

In this great country,

Whose landscape is as vast and beautiful as her inhabitants.

Thank You, God, for giving us all these. Amen.

Would the Matriarch Rivka be a Vegetarian Today? By Akiva Gersch

What would the biblical Rivka think about our world today and how we treat the animals we raise for human consumption? What would she think about the small suffocating cages in which chickens raised for their eggs live out their lives? About the fact that millions of chickens destined to become dinner never see the outside world, the world of nature into which God created them, living instead in overcrowded factory-like warehouses filled with excrement and sickening odors? Would Rivka eat a shawarma in Jerusalem or a shnitzel in Tel Aviv, knowing that the meat she would be consuming is the result of an industrial approach to animals that looks at them as a product to be “made”, sold and consumed, with little to no regard to how they are treated along the way? If Rivka visited a kosher slaughter house today, what would she say about cows being killed at a rate of one per minute in full sight of other animals despite the fact that Jewish law states that this is prohibited. What would she say about male chicks being thrown into industrial-sized grinders, killing them minutes after they are born, as the meat industry has no profitable use for them? Rivka was chosen to be the partner of Yitzhak based on her sensitivity to all human and non-human creatures alike and her understanding that animals too have a place and purpose in Creation, a fact that demands our compassion and kindness towards them. Rivka is brought into the developing tribe of Am Yisrael because her innate sense of care and concern are exactly what God’s Chosen People will need to do the work they have been chosen to do in this world.

Pasture-Raised Kosher Turkeys (Robaria Farms South Deerfield, MA)

100% certified GMO-free, whole turkey — in time for Thanksgiving!

We use sustainable, rotational grazing practices so our turkeys enjoy fresh pasture every day, where they receive plenty of exercise, sunlight, and clean air. No antibiotics or hormones are ever used. A healthier turkey means a healthier you. Pastured meat has been shown to contain higher levels of Omega-3 fatty acids (good fats) and antioxidants (e.g., vitamin C and E, and beta-carotene), than non-pastured meat.

Turkeys are pasture-raised during the summer and early fall months and will be ready for pick-up in November.

• 1 turkey @ $7.55/lb
• By using kosher processing practices, we ensure that our turkeys are processed, cleaned, and prepared based on a framework of high ethical principles and practices.
• The kosher process involves multiple salting cycles to thoroughly clean and brine the chicken, adding to the meat’s deep, rich flavor.