Thanksgiving | Imamother

amother

Thu, Nov 23 2023, 10:04 am

Do you celebrate?
I am not American but have lived here for a number of years. This morning my 8 year old son told me the boys at school say it’s “non jewish”. I’m curious what other ppl think…. Please state whether you celebrate and what your hashkafa is.

amother

Lemonlime

Thu, Nov 23 2023, 10:28 am

amother OP wrote:

Thanksgiving was originally established as a day of fasting, prayer in church and repentance. Later on it morphed into a more secular holiday. Rav Moshe Feinstein held it was mutar to eat at a family gathering as long as one isn’t celebrating the holiday. Others hold it is possibly a deoraysah.

Here is an article that discusses some of the aspects.
https://www.theyeshivaworld.co......html

essie14

Thu, Nov 23 2023, 10:44 am

We have the traditional Thanksgiving food on Shabbat, since we live in Israel.
When I lived in America I never had school growing up (OOT BY) or work (as an adult) and sometimes went to Thanksgiving dinners or hosted one.
We learned about it in school and had some sort of Pilgrim play.
Never learned that there's anything non Jewish about giving thanks.

Beingreal

Thu, Nov 23 2023, 10:51 am

Thanksgiving is every day! What is the big deal?

amother

Thu, Nov 23 2023, 10:57 am

amother Lemonlime wrote:

Thank you! This was very helpful

amother

Navy

Thu, Nov 23 2023, 11:01 am

Beingreal wrote:

Thanksgiving is every day! What is the big deal?

Let me guess. Mother’s Day is every day too, right?

amother

Navy

Thu, Nov 23 2023, 11:02 am

Yes!!! Live thanksgiving food so much! Love a day off on a Thursday! Love watching the parade! Love a day for family where we can drive to see each other but don’t have any obligation. It’s just the best day!

Elfrida

Thu, Nov 23 2023, 11:03 am

essie14 wrote:

We learned about it in school and had some sort of Pilgrim play.
Never learned that there's anything non Jewish about giving thanks.

I always heard that they were giving thanks for their survival, and since there were no Jews there at that time, it wasn't really relevant.

(Grew up English, and live in Israel, so it never meant much to me.)

Beingreal

Thu, Nov 23 2023, 11:16 am

amother Navy wrote:

Let me guess. Mother’s Day is every day too, right?

Exactly!

amother

Puce

Thu, Nov 23 2023, 11:43 am

Beingreal wrote:

Thanksgiving is every day! What is the big deal?

How is Thanksgiving every day?
Do you mean giving thanks to Hashem?

Beingreal

Thu, Nov 23 2023, 11:45 am

Everyone has the opportunity to thank not only Hashem, your spouse, kids, co workers..not just Thanksgiving!

amother

Dodgerblue

Thu, Nov 23 2023, 4:23 pm

heard a good "chap" today. Thanksgiving is not "the day to give thanks." It's the day that reminds us that we need to give thanks every day.

Ema of 5

Thu, Nov 23 2023, 4:26 pm

Beingreal wrote:

Thanksgiving is every day! What is the big deal?

I never understood this type of answer. Sure, we give thanks every day, but what is wrong with singling out one day to specifically remember to be thankful?

amother

DarkGreen

Thu, Nov 23 2023, 4:29 pm

Rabbi Berel Wein has a talk on the history of Thanksgiving. He claims that it's assur for jews to celebrate Thanksgiving, it does have some religious history.
He also has an interesting talk on new years & why jews shouldn't celebrate new years either.

amother

Aconite

Thu, Nov 23 2023, 4:32 pm

Many consider chanuka the yom tov of giving thanks. I belive rav hunter said something to that effect.

Personally we don't celebrate it. Dh and I didn't grownup celebrating Thanksgiving or mother's day or any other secular holiday.

Thanksgiving is the only day that there's quite a bit of halachoc responsa on it. Ranging from its fine to its assur.

Also, my kids don't like turkey. I made cholent for supper ronight...

sequoia

Thu, Nov 23 2023, 4:55 pm

amother Aconite wrote:

You don’t have to make turkey.

amother

Stonewash

Sun, Nov 26 2023, 2:12 pm

I read (a bit late) an article by a very left leaning source who was selling colonialism & oppressed/oppressor brainwashing.

It was very interesting. Obviously their goal was to demonize everything.

It blamed the pilgrims for killing the Indian tribes by bringing "disease". Like it's not a fact that every foreign traveler brought unknown biology into a different area.

It blamed them for (initial years) killing when the misunderstanding of no language and different way of lives ended up with lots dead on both peoples.

It neglected to mention the puritans had to run for their lives from Europe and weren't there to colonialize, they just wanted to live and practice their religion.

But it also explained the first Thanksgiving or two this celebration was a religious puritan occasion of prayer to their religious deity & religious fasting.

Only later did it involve a politically tense meeting of cold truce like temperature where they had food together grudgingly.

They aren't even sure a turkey was involved.

So the puritans celebrated their freedom from religious oppression with fasts & prayer. That's Thanksgiving.

No colonialism or occupation involved.

Native American were slaughtered genocide style eventually. Only because they kept slaughtering and kidnapping barbaric style on the people who moved in as their neighbors who were there to be free from their persecutors. And they couldn't communicate with each other.

I do think that life needs to move forward and if we focus on everyone that was wronged in the process we keep hate alive. Native Americans have their payouts and free compensation, and today, respect as equals and doing more than continuing to help their poor succeed and get a well lived life, would just keep a grudge going forward and prevent flourishing.

So do I feel comfortable with celebrating religious freedom, yes, on July 4th and most every day I thank Hashem that I live in a wonderful country that allows me freedom to practice. With puritan origin? Even though its commercialized? I don't think its comparable to Xmas but it is comparable to St Valentines in a way, its meant to be thanking G-d, not thanking anyone else.