What are you doing on Thanksgiving?

I got on my email this week to be reminded by a couple of notices that Thanksgiving weekend is approaching, something I was otherwise completely unaware of. Here in Yerushalayim my kids have their regular 6-day school week and won’t even be aware that their friends in America are going to be on vacation. We won’t sit down to a turkey dinner on Thursday, but this reminded me that perhaps I should celebrate Thanksgiving today. And tomorrow. And the next day, and the next…

The irony of days such as Thanksgiving and Mother’s and Father’s Days is that we need an official day for giving thanks and appreciation to remind us that this is something that we should be doing every day, not just once a year.

Unlike Mother’s and Father’s Day, Thanksgiving brings with it the question of whether it is a secular or a religious holiday, with much discussion among poskim about whether one is allowed to celebrate it or not. Click here to see an interesting article by Rabbi Michael Broyde about the different opinions regarding celebrating Thanksgiving.

The question we should all ask ourselves, if we choose to celebrate Thanksgiving, is whether we are commemorating the true meaning of the day, or whether we get lost somewhere after the capital “T” and celebrate Turkey day instead. Thanksgiving affords us two days off from school, the famous Macy’s parade, and extra vacation time to just chill with friends. And then of course Thanksgiving dinner, a chance to get together with family and eat our free turkeys and lots of other delicious food. All very enjoyable things to do. But do we remember in the midst of all the fun to think about the reason we are enjoying? It isn’t just about Turkey, but about realizing what we have and Giving Thanks for it.

Whether one celebrates Thanksgiving officially or not, it is appropriate to take some time to think about the opportunities that one has and thank HKB”H for what He has given us. Even those who choose not to celebrate it because of its secular nature should still take pause and be thankful to HKB”H that America has accepted us and given us the opportunity to practice our religion freely and without persecution. This reflection and hakarat hatov for everything Hashem has granted us in life should really be done every day, not just once a year.

The article mentions that Rav Soloveitchik zt”l would reschedule his shiur on Thanksgiving to begin and end earlier in order to accommodate those who wished to get home to their Thanksgiving celebrations. Rabbi Broyde emphasizes that we should take note that the Rav did not cancel his shiur to accommodate Thanksgiving, but rather he shifted its hours, so that regular Torah learning would still take place, just like every other day.

So, grab a plate of turkey and your favorite sefer and carve a few minutes out of your Thanksgiving day to learn some Torah and thank HKB”H for the opportunities he has afforded you with. And then try to repeat it again the next day, and the next… but you can leave out the turkey, if you wish.