Most Americans revere Thanksgiving as a time to be with loved ones, a final harvest festival that connects most Americans in a spirit of common national identity.
Most Americans revere Thanksgiving as a time to be with loved ones, a final harvest festival that connects most Americans in a spirit of common national identity. To have a day that brings Americans together in a time when we are so divided seems to be a really good thing. Sadly, and tragically, Thanksgiving is not celebrated by most Native peoples in the United States. While the Pilgrims and the local Wampanoag people celebrated in Massachusetts in 1621, exactly 400 years ago, this was for many the beginning of a painful history for indigenous peoples.
While there were very few Jews in the new America in the 1600’s, we still need to own that piece of history as the beneficiaries of what this country has given us, also as an oppressed people seeking refuge. We must count our personal blessings on this day, but we must also say something about the peoples who preceded us all and their lands on which we now live. At our Thanksgiving dinner we will read poetry by Native poets and contribute to the American Indian College Fund. We also say Brachot as we do on Shabbat and other Jewish holidays. The bracha is a wonderful expression of Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving this year coincides with the Parsha of VaYeshev. It’s interesting that God doesn’t speak in this sedrah. The Parsha is trying to say to the characters you got to work on your relationships without divine intervention. And the relationships in this Parsha surpass the angst and intrigue of most soap operas. The stories describe the psycho spiritual descent of humans - of Joseph and his brothers. It is a darkening world. Joseph goes down to spy on his brothers, he is stripped of his coat of many colors and thrown into a pit, he's sold into slavery and goes down into Egypt/Mitzrayim (place of narrowness). He is then falsely accused of messing with the lady of the house and thrown into the dungeon. In the depths of this darkness he matures, finds Godliness, and gradually emerges.
So in this time of shorter days and darkness all around us we have Thanksgiving. Dayenu? We are also blessed with Hanukah at the end of Thanksgiving Weekend. Our Festival of Lights then helps us dispel the darkness within ourselves and around us.
Khag Hodiyah Sameyakh! Khanukah Sameyakh!
Reb David