Right before Thanksgiving my daughter asked me why were we going to celebrate a holiday that's not Jewish. I asked her if she had anything to be thankful for and she answered yes and so began our lengthy discussion.
Thanksgiving is now a topic included in the curriculum in most Jewish day schools. It is a secular, American holiday with mostly secular origins. This gives Jewish students the opportunity to learn about the Indians and the Pilgrims and the Mayflower.
Our family has always enjoyed the tradition of celebrating Thanksgiving with family and visiting with old friends that return to the area to enjoy a Thanksgiving feast with their own families.
We have recently come across some neat traditions that other family members and friends practice to make Thanksgiving more Jewish and significant to them:
- Some cook the turkey on Friday and celebrate Friday night with a nice Shabbat turkey dinner rather than having all the leftovers on Shabbat which can make Shabbat feel not as special or important.
- You could also use Thanksgiving to teach your children more about doing good deeds like volunteering at a community Thanksgiving dinner for the needy or giving charity to an organization to fight hunger.
- Treat Thanksgiving as a true Seudah, festive meal, and be certain to make blessings and say grace after meals. You can even add some words of Torah to the festivities.
- Invite people outside your usual social circle to the meal. If they are new to this country, they may have a lot to share about the innumerable blessings of this country that we often take for granted.
Hope you all had a very happy Thanksgiving with a side of pumpkin pie (my personal favorite)!
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