A: Hodu Ladonai ki tov!
(לה) וַתַּ֨הַר ע֜וֹד וַתֵּ֣לֶד בֵּ֗ן וַתֹּ֙אמֶר֙ הַפַּ֙עַם֙ אוֹדֶ֣ה אֶת־יהוה עַל־כֵּ֛ן קָרְאָ֥ה שְׁמ֖וֹ יְהוּדָ֑ה וַֽתַּעֲמֹ֖ד מִלֶּֽדֶת׃
(35) She [Leah] conceived again and bore a son, and declared, “This time I will thank the LORD.” Therefore she named him Judah. Then she stopped bearing.
(י) וְאָכַלְתָּ֖ וְשָׂבָ֑עְתָּ וּבֵֽרַכְתָּ֙ אֶת־יהוה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ עַל־הָאָ֥רֶץ הַטֹּבָ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר נָֽתַן־לָֽךְ׃
(10) When you have eaten and are satisfied, give thanks to the LORD your God for the good land which God has given you.
(א)מוֹדֶה אֲנִי לְפָנֶֽיךָ מֶֽלֶךְ חַי וְקַיָּם שֶׁהֶחֱזַֽרְתָּ בִּי נִשְׁמָתִי בְּחֶמְלָה, רַבָּה אֱמוּנָתֶֽךָ:
(1) I give thanks to You living and everlasting Ruler for You have restored my soul with mercy. Great is Your faithfulness.
אָמַר רַב יְהוּדָה אָמַר רַב: אַרְבָּעָה צְרִיכִין לְהוֹדוֹת: יוֹרְדֵי הַיָּם, הוֹלְכֵי מִדְבָּרוֹת, וּמִי שֶׁהָיָה חוֹלֶה וְנִתְרַפֵּא, וּמִי שֶׁהָיָה חָבוּשׁ בְּבֵית הָאֲסוּרִים וְיָצָא. ...
מַאי מְבָרֵךְ? אָמַר רַב יְהוּדָה: ״בָּרוּךְ גּוֹמֵל חֲסָדִים טוֹבִים״. אַבָּיֵי אָמַר: וְצָרִיךְ לְאוֹדוֹיֵי קַמֵּי עַשְׂרָה, דִּכְתִיב: ״וִירוֹמְמוּהוּ בִּקְהַל עָם וְגוֹ׳״.
Rav Yehuda said in the name of Rav:
Four people need to offer Thanksgiving: Those who travel across the sea, who cross the wilderness, who were sick and recovered, and who were imprisoned and released. ...
The Gemara asks: What blessing does he recite?
Rav Yehuda said: Blessed is…Who bestows acts of loving-kindness.
Abaye said: And he must offer thanks before ten people, as it is written in the same chapter: “Let them exalt God also in the congregation of the people and praise God in the assembly of the elders” (Psalms 107:32), and congregation indicates a group of at least ten.
“ They just thought it up, Miss Stickley,” Elizabeth said.
“ No, Elizabeth,” Miss Stickley replied. “They read in the Bible about the Jewish harvest holiday of Tabernacles.” I knew that holiday. We called it Sukkos.
Miss Stickley was still talking. “The Pilgrims got the idea for Thanksgiving from Jews like Molly and her mama.”
Was it simply that basic human instinct – to express gratitude?
Actually, not.
The Pilgrim leader, William Bradford, had a copy of the Bible on the Mayflower. He would later become the governor of Plymouth Colony.
His edition of the Bible contained handwritten notes that a Puritan scholar, Henry Ainsworth, had placed within the margins.
Ainsworth had written out a list of events that require a prayer of thanksgiving to God.
The sick, when he is healed; the prisoner when he is released out of bonds; they that go down to sea, when they are come up to land; and wayfaring men, when they are come to the inhabited land.
Whom does Ainsworth quote – as his authority for when you are supposed to give thanks?
Maimonides.
Ainsworth had copied over an English version of Maimonides’ comprehensive legal code, the Mishneh Torah – specifically, the laws of giving thanks.
Therefore, the entire holiday of Thanksgiving is not only quintessentially American.
It is also quintessentially Jewish.
"I was lucky to be born here, but my mother and her parents came from Buchach. My bubbeh says you also came from Buchach, Rabbi, so you must know about the terrible pogroms there. They happened all the time, for no reason. My mother was badly hurt in a pogrom when she was twelve years old. A cossack on a horse struck her on the head because she was Jewish -- for no other reason than that. No one thought that she would live, but she did. She can't remember anything that happened to her before she was twelve. Nothing. Not a single thing."
The Rabbis shook their heads sadly.
"So here we are now, safe in America. God first brought the Pilgrims and then He brought us, the Jews. The Pilgrims were the first to give thanks to Him, but I believe we also owe Him a Thanksgiving. As much as anybody, we owe Him thanks."
One of the Rabbis leaned forward and asked, "In what manner is this thanks given?"
"From what my teacher told me it sounds something like a seder, Rabbi. Family and friends sit down together, offer a prayer of thanks, and then they eat together."
Gentlemen -
While I receive, with much satisfaction, your Address replete with expressions of affection and esteem; I rejoice in the opportunity of assuring you, that I shall always retain a grateful remembrance of the cordial welcome I experienced in my visit to Newport, from all classes of Citizens.
The reflection on the days of difficulty and danger which are past is rendered the more sweet, from a consciousness that they are succeeded by days of uncommon prosperity and security. If we have wisdom to make the best use of the advantages with which we are now favored, we cannot fail, under the just administration of a good Government, to become a great and happy people.
The Citizens of the United States of America have a right to applaud themselves for having given to mankind examples of an enlarged and liberal policy: a policy worthy of imitation. All possess alike liberty of conscience and immunities of citizenship. It is now no more that toleration is spoken of, as if it was by the indulgence of one class of people, that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent natural rights. For happily the Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens, in giving it on all occasions their effectual support.
It would be inconsistent with the frankness of my character not to avow that I am pleased with your favorable opinion of my Administration, and fervent wishes for my felicity. May the children of the Stock of Abraham, who dwell in this land, continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the other Inhabitants; while every one shall sit in safety under his own vine and figtree, and there shall be none to make him afraid. May the father of all mercies scatter light and not darkness in our paths, and make us all in our several vocations useful here, and in his own due time and way everlastingly happy.
G. Washington
August 21, 1790
(יג) וְאֶת־אֵ֙לֶּה֙ תְּשַׁקְּצ֣וּ מִן־הָע֔וֹף לֹ֥א יֵאָכְל֖וּ שֶׁ֣קֶץ הֵ֑ם אֶת־הַנֶּ֙שֶׁר֙ וְאֶת־הַפֶּ֔רֶס וְאֵ֖ת הָעָזְנִיָּֽה׃(יד) וְאֶת־הַ֨דָּאָ֔ה וְאֶת־הָאַיָּ֖ה לְמִינָֽהּ׃(טו) אֵ֥ת כָּל־עֹרֵ֖ב לְמִינֽוֹ׃(טז) וְאֵת֙ בַּ֣ת הַֽיַּעֲנָ֔ה וְאֶת־הַתַּחְמָ֖ס וְאֶת־הַשָּׁ֑חַף וְאֶת־הַנֵּ֖ץ לְמִינֵֽהוּ׃(יז) וְאֶת־הַכּ֥וֹס וְאֶת־הַשָּׁלָ֖ךְ וְאֶת־הַיַּנְשֽׁוּף׃(יח) וְאֶת־הַתִּנְשֶׁ֥מֶת וְאֶת־הַקָּאָ֖ת וְאֶת־הָרָחָֽם׃(יט) וְאֵת֙ הַחֲסִידָ֔ה הָאֲנָפָ֖ה לְמִינָ֑הּ וְאֶת־הַדּוּכִיפַ֖ת וְאֶת־הָעֲטַלֵּֽף׃
(13) The following you shall abominate among the birds—they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, the vulture, and the black vulture;(14) the kite, falcons of every variety;(15) all varieties of raven;(16) the ostrich, the nighthawk, the sea gull; hawks of every variety;(17) the little owl, the cormorant, and the great owl;(18) the white owl, the pelican, and the bustard;(19) the stork; herons of every variety; the hoopoe, and the bat.
(ו) סִימָנֵי בְהֵמָה וְחַיָּה נֶאֶמְרוּ מִן הַתּוֹרָה, וְסִימָנֵי הָעוֹף לֹא נֶאֱמָרוּ. אֲבָל אָמְרוּ חֲכָמִים, כָּל עוֹף הַדּוֹרֵס, טָמֵא. כֹּל שֶׁיֶּשׁ לוֹ אֶצְבַּע יְתֵרָה, וְזֶפֶק, וְקֻרְקְבָנוֹ נִקְלָף, טָהוֹר. רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר בַּר צָדוֹק אוֹמֵר, כָּל עוֹף הַחוֹלֵק אֶת רַגְלָיו, טָמֵא:
(6) The characteristics of cattle and of wild animals are stated in the Torah. The characteristics of birds are not stated, but the sages said: every bird that seizes its prey is unclean. Every bird that has an extra toe, or a crop and a gizzard that can be peeled, is clean. Rabbi Elazar bar Zadok says: every bird that parts its toes is unclean.
(א)דברים שנוהגים לאכול בליל ר"ה ובו ב"ס:יהא אדם רגיל לאכול בראש השנה רוביא דהיינו תלתן כרתי סילקא תמרי קרא וכשיאכל רוביא יאמר יהי רצון שירבו זכיותינו כרתי יכרתו שונאינו סלקא יסתלקו אויבינו תמרי יתמו שונאינו קרא יקרע גזר דיננו ויקראו לפניך זכיותינו: הגה ויש נוהגין לאכול תפוח מתוק בדבש (טור) ואומרים תתחדש עלינו שנה מתוקה (אבודרהם) וכן נוהגין ויש אוכלים רימונים ואומרים נרבה זכיות כרמון ונוהגין לאכול בשר שמן וכל מיני מתיקה: (מרדכי דיומא):
(1) (1) One should eat beans, leeks, beets, dates, and pumpkin. And as one eats the beans (rubiya), they say: God, may our merits increase (yirbu)! Eating leeks (karti), they say: God, may our enemies be wiped out (yekartu)! Eating dates (tamri), say: God, may our enemies disappear (yetamu)! Eating pumpkin (kra), say: God, may our judgement be ripped up (yikra) and may our merits be called out (yikrau) before You! RAMA: Some have a custom of eating a sweet apple in honey, and saying: May a sweet year be renewed on us! This is what we do. Some eat pomegranates, and say: may our merits be as many as pomegranate seeds! And we are accustomed to eat fatty meat and all sorts of sweets.
אָמַר רַבִּי זֵירָא: קָרָא, קוּרָא, קִירָא, קַנְיָא — כּוּלְּהוּ מְעַלּוּ לְחֶלְמָא. תַּנְיָא: אֵין מַרְאִין דִּלּוּעִין אֶלָּא לְמִי שֶׁהוּא יְרֵא שָׁמַיִם בְּכָל כֹּחוֹ.
Rabbi Zeira said: Pumpkin [kara], heart of palm [kura], wax [kira], and reed [kanya], are all advantageous when one dreams about them. It was taught in a baraita: A pumpkin is only shown in a dream to one who fears Heaven with all his might, because pumpkins [delu’im] are interpreted as an acronym for dalu einai lamarom, “My eyes were raised on high” (Isaiah 38:14).
אָמַר אַבָּיֵי: בּוּצִינָא טָבָא מִקָּרָא.
Abaye said: A young pumpkin in the hand is better than a full-grown pumpkin that is in the field.
The Sephardim who fled to nearby Italy from Spain brought pumpkin with them and soon Italian Jews began trading in pumpkins as well as cooking with them. This trade was facilitated in part by diaspora Jews’ continued connection to Spain through the Marranos — Christian converts who remained in Spain and often still secretly practiced Judaism. In The Book of Jewish Food, Claudia Roden points out that since it first appeared in Italy, pumpkin has been associated with the Jews. Ravioli filled with pumpkin — a familiar dish to anyone who frequents Italian restaurants at this time of year — was originally a Sephardic creation. Italian Jews also developed recipes for pumpkin puree, pumpkin flan, and pumpkin fritters, a Hanukkah delicacy.
(א)דברים שנוהגים לאכול בליל ר"ה ובו ב"ס:יהא אדם רגיל לאכול בראש השנה רוביא דהיינו תלתן כרתי סילקא תמרי קרא וכשיאכל רוביא יאמר יהי רצון שירבו זכיותינו כרתי יכרתו שונאינו סלקא יסתלקו אויבינו תמרי יתמו שונאינו קרא יקרע גזר דיננו ויקראו לפניך זכיותינו: הגה ויש נוהגין לאכול תפוח מתוק בדבש (טור) ואומרים תתחדש עלינו שנה מתוקה (אבודרהם) וכן נוהגין ויש אוכלים רימונים ואומרים נרבה זכיות כרמון ונוהגין לאכול בשר שמן וכל מיני מתיקה: (מרדכי דיומא):
(1) (1) One should eat beans, leeks, beets, dates, and pumpkin. And as one eats the beans (rubiya), they say: God, may our merits increase (yirbu)! Eating leeks (karti), they say: God, may our enemies be wiped out (yekartu)! Eating dates (tamri), say: God, may our enemies disappear (yetamu)! Eating pumpkin (kra), say: God, may our judgement be ripped up (yikra) and may our merits be called out (yikrau) before You! RAMA: Some have a custom of eating a sweet apple in honey, and saying: May a sweet year be renewed on us! This is what we do. Some eat pomegranates, and say: may our merits be as many as pomegranate seeds! And we are accustomed to eat fatty meat and all sorts of sweets.
From 1947 to 1986, Brownstone was the food editor for the Associated Press. For almost 40 years, her writing, and the pieces she commissioned, were among the most widely syndicated stories in the country. That includes a piece she wrote in 1955 about a press dinner she attended at citrus magnate John Snively Jr.’s Florida home. During the meal, a green bean dish caught the enthusiastic attention of the table—enough so that Snively’s wife shared that she had recently served the same dish, to similar acclaim, to the visiting shah and queen of Iran. The queen, Mrs. Snively said, had asked the butler which ingredients each dish contained before taking a bite. She did it so frequently that the butler eventually lost his patience and, when she inquired about the casserole, he allegedly snapped back, “Listen, lady, it’s just beans and stuff.”
Brownstone knew a compelling story when she heard one, and set out to write an article about the queen and her green beans. She just needed a recipe to go with it. Variations of green bean casseroles—some studded with chopped hot dogs, others topped, cobbler-style, with biscuit dough—dated back to the 1930s, when Depression-era cooks found ways to stretch limited ingredients to feed their families. But Brownstone wanted to capture the magic of the dish Mrs. Snively had served. As was common at the time, she called up a food manufacturer, in this case Campbell’s Soup Co., to help develop a recipe that would appear in newspapers across America. And so the modern green bean casserole, in all of its soupy, crunchy-topped glory, was born.
(ג) כְּמַעֲשֵׂה אֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם אֲשֶׁר יְשַׁבְתֶּם בָּהּ לֹא תַעֲשׂוּ וּכְמַעֲשֵׂה אֶרֶץ כְּנַעַן אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי מֵבִיא אֶתְכֶם שָׁמָּה לֹא תַעֲשׂוּ וּבְחֻקֹּתֵיהֶם לֹא תֵלֵכוּ.
(3) In the way they do things in the land of Egypt, wherein you dwelt, you shall not do, and as they do in the land of Canaan, where I bring you, you shall not do; neither shall ye walk in their statutes.
(א)שלא ללבוש כמלבושי עובדי כוכבים. ובו ג' סעיפים:אין הולכין בחוקות העובדי כוכבים (ולא מדמין להם) (טור בשם הרמב"ם) ולא ילבש מלבוש המיוחד להם ולא יגדל ציצת ראשו כמו ציצת ראשם ולא יגלח מהצדדין ויניח השער באמצע ולא יגלח השער מכנגד פניו מאוזן לאוזן ויניח הפרע ולא יבנה מקומות כבנין היכלות של עבודת כוכבים כדי שיכנסו בהם רבים כמו שהם עושים : הגה אלא יהא מובדל מהם במלבושיו ובשאר מעשיו (שם) וכל זה אינו אסור אלא בדבר שנהגו בו העובדי כוכבים לשם פריצות כגון שנהגו ללבוש מלבושים אדומים והוא מלבוש שרים וכדומה לזה ממלבושי הפריצות או בדבר שנהגו למנהג ולחוק ואין טעם בדבר דאיכא למיחש ביה משום דרכי האמורי ושיש בו שמץ עבודת כוכבים מאבותיהם אבל דבר שנהגו לתועלת כגון שדרכן שכל מי שהוא רופא מומחה יש לו מלבוש מיוחד שניכר בו שהוא רופא אומן מותר ללובשו וכן שעושין משום כבוד או טעם אחר מותר (מהרי"ק שורש פ"ח) לכן אמרו שורפין על המלכים ואין בו משום דרכי האמורי (ר"ן פ"ק דעבודת כוכבים):
(1) 1. Not To Dress Like A Non-Jew, 3 Seifim: One [i.e., a Jew] should not follow the customs of non-Jews (nor should one try to resemble them) (Tur in the name of the Rambam). 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]. (Maharik Shoresh 88) 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.” (R"an, Chapter of the Laws of Non-Jews)
- 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. (26)
- On the issue of joining with those who think that Thanksgiving is like a holiday to eat a meal: since it is clear that according to their religious law books this day is not mentioned as a religious holiday and that one is not obligated in a meal [according to Gentile religious law] and since this is a day of remembrance to citizens of this country, when they came to reside here either now or earlier, halacha sees no prohibition in celebrating with a meal or with the eating of turkey. One sees similar to this in Kiddushin 66 that Yanai the king made a party after the conquest of kochlet in the desert and they ate vegetables as a remembrance.
- 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.
For example, one could recite one or both of the "Modim" prayers. Or the morning Modeh Ani prayer
My own favorite is Psalm 100 Mizmor leTodah, a Psalm of Thanskgiving. In particular I enjoy Louis Lewandowski's awesome choral composition of same. It is a most inspiring way to express gratitude.
And following dinner as we recite the "Birkat Hamazon" the 2nd Blessing is based upon the theme of thanks - "Nodeh Lecha"
My in-laws "Did Thanksgiving" on the Friday Night Shabbat Dinner on the Day after the Secular Thursday. There is perhaps no more Jewish way to celebrate Turkey Day than by having it as a Friday Night Shabbat Feast
I hope these help
Happy Thanksgiving
RRW
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.
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.
Let’s 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.
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.
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.
All things precious, everything we treasure,
Friendship, love and pecan pie,
All things delicious till the day I die.
Thank you God for this abundant food,
And for putting us in a grateful mood.
Hodu Ladonai ki tov, ki l’olam ki l’olam chasdo!
All things good, all delightful feeling,
Family relations and pumpkin pie,
All things delicious till the day I die.
Chorus
All things sweet and true face showing,
Old hurts forgiven and lemon pie,
All things delicious till the day I die.
Chorus
Pleasure is a doorway to expanded reality,
Family traditions and key lime pie,
All things delicious till the day I die.
Chorus
All things precious, everything we treasure,
Friendship, love and pecan pie,
All things delicious till the day I die.
Chorus
https://www.ou.org/torah/parsha/rabbi-sacks-on-parsha/the-power-of-gratitude/
In the early 1990s one of the great medical research exercises of modern times took place. It became known as the Nun Study. Some 700 American nuns, all members of the School Sisters of Notre Dame in the United States, agreed to allow their records to be accessed by a research team investigating the process of ageing and Alzheimer’s Disease. At the start of the study the participants were aged between 75 and 102.
What medicine now knows about individuals, Moses knew about nations. Gratitude – hakarat ha-tov – is at the heart of what he has to say about the Israelites and their future in the Promised Land. Gratitude had not been their strong point in the desert. They complained about lack of food and water, about the manna and the lack of meat and vegetables, about the dangers they faced from the Egyptians as they were leaving and about the inhabitants of the land they were about to enter. They lacked thankfulness during the difficult times. A greater danger still, said Moses, would be a lack of gratitude during the good times. This is what he warned:
Gratitude also lies behind a fascinating feature of the Amidah. When the leader of prayer repeats the Amidah aloud, we are silent other than for the responses ofKedushah, and saying Amen after each blessing, with one exception. When the leader says the words Modim anachnu lakh, “We give thanks to You,” the congregation says the a parallel passage known as Modim de-Rabbanan. For every other blessing of the Amidah, it is sufficient to assent to the words of the leader by saying Amen. The one exception is Modim , “We give thanks.” Rabbi Elijah Spira (1660–1712) in his work Eliyahu Rabbah[4] explains that when it comes to saying thank you, we cannot delegate this away to someone else to do it on our behalf. Thanks has to come directly from us.
[2] Danner, Deborah D., David A. Snowdon, and Wallace V. Friesen. “Positive Emotions in Early Life and Longevity: Findings from the Nun Study.”
[3] Much of the material in this paragraph is to be found in articles published in Greater Good: The Science of a Meaningful Life @ http://greatergood.berkeley.edu.
[4] Eliyahu Rabbah, Orach Chayyim 127: 1.
[5] André Comte-Sponville, A Short Treatise on the Great Virtues: The Uses of Philosophy in Everyday Life. London: Heinemann, 2002.
The Hebrew term for gratitude is Hakarat Hatov, which means, literally, "recognizing the good." The good is already there. Practicing gratitude means being fully aware of the good that is already yours.
If you've lost your job but you still have your family and health, you have something to be grateful for...
If your house burns down but you still have your memories, you have something to be grateful for.
If you've broken a string on your violin and you still have three more, you have something to be grateful for...
There is no limit to what we don't have, and if that is where we focus, then our lives are inevitably filled with endless dissatisfaction. It is also true that even if we are aware of our gifts, we tend to grow callous to those fine things that pepper our lives, so that after a while we no longer even see that they are there. We come to take the good for granted. When gratitude is a living reality well established in our hearts, however, we constantly refresh our vision so that we make accurate note of the good that surrounds us.
A simple and effective way to practice gratitude is by making giving thanks part of your everyday life. For example, it is an established Jewish practice to recite 100 such blessings a day. The term for "blessing" in Hebrew is bracha, which comes from the same root as the Hebrew word for "knee." When you say a blessing, it is as if you have bent your knee in an act of gratitude. The habit of saying blessings can remind you to be thankful when you hit a green light, or the salad is fresh, or the garden is getting the rain it needs, or your child came home from school as usual.
Saying Thank You
תניא היה רבי מאיר אומר חייב אדם לברך מאה ברכות בכל יום שנאמר (דברים י, יב) ועתה ישראל מה יהוה אלהיך שואל מעמך
It is taught in a baraita that Rabbi Meir would say: A person is obligated to recite one hundred blessings every day, as it is stated in the verse: “And now, Israel, what [ma] does the Lord your God require of you” (Deuteronomy 10:12). Rabbi Meir interprets the verse as though it said one hundred [me’a], rather than ma.
מודִים אֲנַחְנוּ לָךְ. שָׁאַתָּה הוּא יהוה אֱלהֵינוּ וֵאלהֵי אֲבותֵינוּ לְעולָם וָעֶד. צוּר חַיֵּינוּ. מָגֵן יִשְׁעֵנוּ אַתָּה הוּא לְדור וָדור: נודֶה לְּךָ וּנְסַפֵּר תְּהִלָּתֶךָ עַל חַיֵּינוּ הַמְּסוּרִים בְּיָדֶךָ. וְעַל נִשְׁמותֵינוּ הַפְּקוּדות לָךְ. וְעַל נִסֶּיךָ שֶׁבְּכָל יום עִמָּנוּ. וְעַל נִפְלְאותֶיךָ וְטובותֶיךָ שֶׁבְּכָל עֵת. עֶרֶב וָבקֶר וְצָהֳרָיִם: הַטּוב כִּי לא כָלוּ רַחֲמֶיךָ. וְהַמְרַחֵם כִּי לא תַמּוּ חֲסָדֶיךָ. מֵעולָם קִוִּינוּ לָךְ:
We gratefully thank You, for You, O Lord our God, are our fathers' God for all eternity, our Rock, our Shield of salvation generation to generation. We thank You and recount Your praise for our lives. We trust our lives into Your loving hand. Our souls are in Your custody and Your miracles are with us every day and Your wonders and goodness are with us at all times: evening, morning and noon. You are good, for Your mercies never fail us, and the Compassionate One, for Your loving kindness never ceases; forever we have placed our hope in You.
נשמת כל חי
ְוִאלּוּ ִֶֽפינוּ ָמֵלא ִשׁיָרה ַכָּיּם, וְּלשׁוֵֶֹֽננוִּרָמּה ַכֲּהמוֹן ַגָּלּיו, ְוִשְׂפתוֵֶֹֽתינוּ ֶֶֽשַׁבח ְכֶּמְרֲחֵביָרִֶֽקיַע, ְוֵעיֵֶֽנינוּ ְמִאירוֹת ַכֶֶּֽשֶּׁמשְׁוַכָיֵֶּֽרַח, ְוָיֵֶֽדינוּ ְפרוּשׂוֹת ְכִּנְשֵׁרי ָשֶָֽׁמִים, ְוַרְגֵֶֽלינוּ ַקלּוֹת ָכַּאָיּלוֹת, ֵאין ֲא ֶַֽנ ְחנוּ ַמ ְס ִפּי ִקים ְלהוֹדוֹת ְלךָ, יהוה ֱאלֵֶֹֽקינוֵּואלֵֹהי ֲאבוֵֶֹֽתינוּ
From Nishmat Kol Hai
Could song fill our mouth as water fills the sea
And could joy flood our tongue like countless waves- Could our lips utter praise as limitless as the sky
And could our eyes match the splendor of the sun- Could we soar with arms like an eagle’s wings
And run with gentle grace as the swiftest deer- Never could we fully state our gratitude to you
Our God and the God of our ancestors.
(יב) אִ֣ם עַל־תּוֹדָה֮ יַקְרִיבֶנּוּ֒ וְהִקְרִ֣יב ׀ עַל־זֶ֣בַח הַתּוֹדָ֗ה חַלּ֤וֹת מַצּוֹת֙ בְּלוּלֹ֣ת בַּשֶּׁ֔מֶן וּרְקִיקֵ֥י מַצּ֖וֹת מְשֻׁחִ֣ים בַּשָּׁ֑מֶן וְסֹ֣לֶת מֻרְבֶּ֔כֶת חַלֹּ֖ת בְּלוּלֹ֥ת בַּשָּֽׁמֶן׃(יג) עַל־חַלֹּת֙ לֶ֣חֶם חָמֵ֔ץ יַקְרִ֖יב קָרְבָּנ֑וֹ עַל־זֶ֖בַח תּוֹדַ֥ת שְׁלָמָֽיו׃(יד) וְהִקְרִ֨יב מִמֶּ֤נּוּ אֶחָד֙ מִכָּל־קָרְבָּ֔ן תְּרוּמָ֖ה לַיהוה לַכֹּהֵ֗ן הַזֹּרֵ֛ק אֶת־דַּ֥ם הַשְּׁלָמִ֖ים ל֥וֹ יִהְיֶֽה׃(טו) וּבְשַׂ֗ר זֶ֚בַח תּוֹדַ֣ת שְׁלָמָ֔יו בְּי֥וֹם קָרְבָּנ֖וֹ יֵאָכֵ֑ל לֹֽא־יַנִּ֥יחַ מִמֶּ֖נּוּ עַד־בֹּֽקֶר׃
(12) If he offers it for thanksgiving, he shall offer together with the sacrifice of thanksgiving unleavened cakes with oil mixed in, unleavened wafers spread with oil, and cakes of choice flour with oil mixed in, well soaked. (13) This offering, with cakes of leavened bread added, he shall offer along with his thanksgiving sacrifice of well-being. (14) Out of this he shall offer one of each kind as a gift to the LORD; it shall go to the priest who dashes the blood of the offering of well-being. (15) And the flesh of his thanksgiving sacrifice of well-being shall be eaten on the day that it is offered; none of it shall be set aside until morning.
והענין דתכלית תודה שבא על הנס הוא כדי לספר חסדי יהוה שגמל עליו . ומטעם זה ריבה הכתוב בלחם ומיעט בזמן אכילת תודה מכל שלמים. היינו כדי שיהי׳ מרבה ריעים לסעודה אחת ביום הקרבה ויהי׳ ספור הנס לפני רוב אנשים...
And the idea is the following: The purpose for bringing the thanksgiving sacrifice upon experiencing a miracle is in order to relate the kindness of God that was performed for [the one bringing the sacrifice]. It is for this reason that the Torah required great amounts of bread but then reduced the amount of time with which to eat it, in comparison to the other Shelamim sacrifices. This, in order to bring many friends together at one meal on the day of the sacrifice, at which the host will relate the miracle before them.
רַבִּי פִּנְחָס וְרַבִּי לֵוִי וְרַבִּי יוֹחָנָן בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי מְנַחֵם דְּגַלְיָא, לֶעָתִיד לָבוֹא כָּל הַקָּרְבָּנוֹת בְּטֵלִין וְקָרְבַּן תּוֹדָה אֵינוֹ בָּטֵל, כָּל הַתְּפִלּוֹת בְּטֵלוֹת, הַהוֹדָאָה אֵינָהּ בְּטֵלָה
Rabbi Pinchas, Rabbi Levi and Rabbi Yochanan [said] in the name of Rabbi Menachem from Gallia: In the time to come, all sacrifices will be annulled - but the sacrifice of thanksgiving will not be annulled. All prayers will be annulled, but the prayer of gratitude will not be annulled.
בֶּן זוֹמָא אוֹמֵר, אֵיזֶהוּ חָכָם, הַלּוֹמֵד מִכָּל אָדָם, ... אֵיזֶהוּ גִבּוֹר, הַכּוֹבֵשׁ אֶת יִצְרוֹ... אֵיזֶהוּ עָשִׁיר, הַשָּׂמֵחַ בְּחֶלְקוֹ..אֵיזֶהוּ מְכֻבָּד, הַמְכַבֵּד אֶת הַבְּרִיּוֹת...
Ben Zoma said:Who is wise? He who learns from every man ... Who is mighty? He who subdues his [evil] inclination... Who is rich? He who is happy with what he has...Who is he that is honored? He who honors his fellow human beings ...
Looking for a model on which to base their Thanksgiving festival,
Pilgrims may have turned to Sukkot, the Bible’s harvest festival.
President Washington designated the first national “Thanksgiving Day”
on November 26, 1789 to give thanks for the Constitution.
President Lincoln made it a permanent holiday on October 3, 1863
to be a time for Americans to renew our pledge to the Constitution.
Beginning in 1837, Sarah Josepha Hale waged a 38-year campaign to
make Thanksgiving a National Holiday. That finally happened in 1941.
O beautiful for spacious skies, For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties Above the fruited plain!
America! America! God shed His grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood, From sea to shining sea!
Share your own family’s coming- to-America stories or
discuss experiences you’ve had as Americans this past year.
Asking questions is a sign of freedom:
For what are you personally thankful?
What are you thankful for as an American? A Jew?
What do you wish to contribute to this country?
What do you believe are the highest ideals and best values of the United States?
Have we, as a nation, lived up to those ideals and values in the past year?
Irving Berlin wrote “God Bless America” in 1938 for Kate Smith to sing on her
regular radio show. First broadcast November 11, 1938, “God Bless America”
became her signature song and one of America’s most loved patriotic songs.
For the meal: haMotzei lechem min haAretz. For wine: borei pri haGafen.
Blessings after the Meal Birkat HaMazon
My country tis of thee, Sweet land of liberty, Of thee I sing:
Land where my fathers died, Land of the Pilgrims’ pride,
From every mountainside Let freedom ring!
to share a meal and to celebrate this American feast with stories, songs and readings. We thank God for giving us life, for sustaining us, and allowing us
to reach this day.
Barukh Ata Adonai Eloheinu Melekh haOlam, sheHecheyanu v’Kiy'manu, v’Higi'anu laZman haZeh
in our right to be free.
Thus, on July 4, 1776, at the Continental Congress, we declared our indepen-dence saying, “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,
that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
With a Liberty Bell ringing out: “Proclaim Liberty thro' all the Land to
all the Inhabitants thereof” and a Statue of Liberty welcoming “the tired,
poor, huddled masses yearning to breathe free,” they came.
Hassan, Inna, Jackson, Kahn, Lind, McLaren, Nwaguru, Olaf, Pucinski, Quinn, Rosenbaum, Singh, Tanaka, Uilani, Verdeja, Williams, Xuan, Yoo, Zimmer.
These are the names of the generations that came to America.
They reveal individual lives that represent the story of our nation.
These are the names of the generations that built America.
They recall our parents and grandparents and mirror ourselves.
These are the names of the generations that care for America.
They remind us why we gather at this Thanksgiving table.
African-American, Irish-American, Italian-American, Jewish-American,
Korean-American, Polish-American, Chinese-American, Arab-American.
For, above and beyond our differences, we are Americans, “one nation under God,” committed to creating an ever more just land that is secure and free, abundant and caring for all her inhabitants.
We are the stewards of America, her ideals and institutions, her cities and natural beauty. We are entrusted to understand America’s past and guide her future.
While much work remains to be done to do to realize our dreams for this Nation, and there is much work to do to repair our world, today we pause to give thanks.
We are thankful for the blessings in our lives and for the privilege,
the responsibility and the honor of being Americans.
God bless America, land that I love
Stand beside her and guide her Through the night with the light from above.
From the mountains to the prairies, To the ocean white with foam
God bless America, My home sweet home.
God bless America, My home sweet home.
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.
Enjoy your meal with blessings and stories!