A Jewish Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is not a Jewish holiday but it is quite the Jewish holiday.  In fact gratitude and thanks is fundamental to Jewish thought.  Additionally, Jews have always had an obligation to give thanks and appreciation to our host country.  This is true in particular for this country, the USA which has been a country of kindness to our People.

Gratitude and thanks has many faces and many dimensions.  It starts with a recognition of those that have done kindness to you. This includes of course G-d and then all those that have been messengers and angels to bring Hashem’s blessing into our lives.

Once we have the recognition, we ought to articulate the thanks.  Verbalizing thanks is a form action.  Action, by definition actualizes something.  In this case, it actualizes the feelings of gratitude we have towards others.

(Occasionally, the gratitude needs to take on the form of action, in the sense of doing something to demonstrated our appreciation.)

Gratitude helps us recognize that we are not alone in this journey and there are those around us and above us that care for us and value us.

As we enter into this Thanksgiving weekend, let’s incorporate the reciting of the Modeh Ani in the morning to express our thanks for the gift of life and the Shema in the evening to express our thanks for purpose.  This is the Jewish way and this is a Jewish Thanksgiving!

Enjoying what
you've read?

Here's more.

September 20, 2022

Happy 5783 Birthday world!  

Rabbi Schusterman

The opposite of old is not young. The opposite of old is new.   As the sun sets on an old year, a New...

May 17, 2017

Lessons on Management

Chabad Intown

Most of us are in management. For starters we manage ourselves – or should be managing ourselves....

June 9, 2021

What does the Rebbe want from me?

Rabbi Schusterman

What did the Rebbe want from me? This Sunday commemorates 27 years since the Rebbe’s passing....