Thanksgiving Thoughts

Every year at this time, debates take place in the American "frum" community as to whether, and to what extent, the holiday of Thanksgiving should be acknowledged. I'm proud to say that my family does celebrate this holiday, at least as far as the following "big three" rituals are concerned:

• Having a big dinner with turkey as the main course
• Listening to "Alice's Restaurant" on the radio
• Rooting for the Dallas Cowboys to lose

In all seriousness, I view Thanksgiving as an American, not a Christian, holiday, no less worthy of observance than 4th of July or Mother's Day. Nevertheless, the latter seem to be much more widely accepted in the frum community, as I recently observed.

As a religious Jew who celebrates Thanksgiving, I am in reasonably good company, including, famously, Rav Soloveichik. I do respect those American Jews who, in choosing not observe this day, are simply following the views of their own poskim. However, those whose rejection of Thanksgiving really reflects an overall lack of hakaros hatov [gratitude] to this country, have nothing but my contempt and pity.

For those interested in the halachik debate on Thanksgiving, see this link to an excellent analysis published years ago by Rabbi Michael Broyde. The article includes a description (see footnote #38) of the famous erev-Thanksgiving incident in Rav Soloveichik's shiur which I alluded to above.

To all my US readers, I wish you a happy Thanksgiving, and may you and yours always have both cause and capacity to give thanks, on this holiday and every day.

Coming tomorrow, if I have the time and the fortitude: What I'm thankful for today.