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November 24, 2023 (11 Kislev 5784) Parasha Vayeitse - Thanksgiving Origins
Dear Friends, I pray that this correspondence finds you well, happily recovered from a gluttonous and enjoyable Thanksgiving feast with loved ones. We invite you to join us (to work off the effects of tryptophan) this Saturday morning in our sanctuary for in-person Shabbat services. Tefillot will begin at 10:00 am, be available on our Zoom prayer link, and, of course, be followed by a Kiddush luncheon. Please mark your calendars for next Shabbat (December 2nd) as we will host two special guests including Hazzan Joe Flaxman (a very nice man with an operatic voice) and social media influencer Danya Wasser (my talented and accomplished daughter), who will speak about her recent trip to the south of Israel and the non-stop battle of advocacy for Israel and Zionism, which is unfolding before our eyes in social media. At this time of year, the question I am asked most frequently is whether or not Thanksgiving can be considered a “Jewish” holiday. In my opinion, there are at least 5 ways of answering this seasonal quandary: a historical answer; the traditional rabbinic answer; the Chabad answer (neither traditional nor historical); a personal answer; and, most importantly perhaps, a national answer. From a historical perspective, there are legitimate connections between Judaism and Thanksgiving. Most of the Pilgrims who celebrated the first Thanksgiving were Puritans, a branch of the Protestant faith. The Puritans strongly identified with the historical traditions and customs of the Israelites in the Bible. In their quest for religious freedom, the Puritans viewed their journey to America as exactly analogous to the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. England was Egypt, the king was Pharaoh, the Atlantic Ocean their Red Sea, and the Puritans were the Israelites, entering into a new covenant with God in a new Promised Land. In fact, most of the Puritans had Hebrew names and there was even a proposal to make Hebrew the language of the colonies! From a rabbinic perspective, the themes of the holiday resonate with numerous liturgical passages. Each morning, the familiar first words we Jews utter reflect our steadfast gratitude: מוֹדֶה אֲנִי לְפָנֶֽיךָ מֶֽלֶךְ חַי וְקַיָּם שֶׁהֶחֱזַֽרְתָּ בִּי נִשְׁמָתִי בְּחֶמְלָה, רַבָּה אֱמוּנָתֶֽךָ: I give thanks to You living and everlasting King, for You have restored my soul with mercy. Great is Your faithfulness. After the morning’s presumptive orientation towards thanks, the Jewish custom is to continue that pattern of grace, by reciting one-hundred daily blessings to express our ongoing appreciation to Hashem (Menachot 43b, Orech Chayim 46:1). From a Chabad perspective, this Yuntif (holiday) is a cozy, family-oriented, happy day, a day to focus on our effervescent and ecstatic spiritual approach to life. The Rebbe, to his credit, was a great fan of the United States and would often call this country, at least from an immigration and freedom of religion standpoint, the ultimate Country of Kindness. Thanksgiving furthermore represents in Chassidus (Chasidic philosophy) a kind of energetic surgery, where one cuts past the negative life force energy in the world to highlight the positive. Chabad also marks the holiday’s significance as the day in 1977 when the Rebbe, five weeks after his near-fatal heart attack, returned home due to the prayers of his followers and the assistance of Hashem. Nonetheless, the true Thanksgiving, from this vantage point, will obviously only emerge with the advent of the Days of Moshiach! From a personal perspective, I am thankful for the many blessings which Hashem has bestowed upon me. I am blessed to work in the field of education and have the opportunity to teach Talmud to the next generation of Jewish students. I am blessed to work with each of you at CBIOTP as we continue to build a sacred community of Torah and Mitzvoth to insure our Jewish future. I am grateful for my wife’s strength in the face of adversity and for the Naches (joy) I receive each day from my daughters, who have grown to be independent, thoughtful, and caring young adult Jews. Trust me, my list could go on and on, as, I am sure, can yours. From a national perspective, we are grateful for the pending release of 50 hostages. The release of these precious souls hopefully represents the beginning of the redemption of each and every one of those held against their will. And while we are thankful by their release (and I am not even sure if that is the correct word), please do not make the mistake of complacency. Enemies surround us. Antisemitism and anti-Zionism continue to be celebrated worldwide. Colleges and the Internet are a cesspool of hate. It is now, more than ever, that we have to double down on our support of Israel and those remaining in the hands of cruel, callous, and immoral human beings. May this Shabbat, offer us all the opportunity to be grateful, recognize blessings, and acknowledge the work ahead of us in support of our brothers and sisters in Eretz Yisrael. Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Eric L. Wasser, EdD, Hon.DM
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