EDMOND —
Many people associate the concept of giving thanks with religion. Gratitude and thanksgiving are often promoted within religious contexts, but they are not exclusively religious — people who do not practice or profess any religion also find the idea of being grateful central to the human experience. I raise this in the context of Thanksgiving — a holiday that all Americans celebrate together regardless of religious identity or cultural differences.
The Jewish community has a particular connection to the Thanksgiving holiday. The Pilgrims patterned this harvest holiday of togetherness and gratitude after the Jewish festival of Sukkot (“Tabernacles” or “Booths”), which Jews celebrate in the autumn. Recalling the description of the festival from the Bible, the Pilgrims instituted a similar celebration of gratitude after their first harvest in the New World.
So, how do American Jews celebrate Thanksgiving?
I know that the answer may not be exciting, but the most common way is with turkey. For the most part, American Jews take this opportunity to celebrate their American-ness by eating the same foods that our friends and neighbors are eating. We spend time with our families, watch parades and football games, and take the time to give thanks for all that the United States has done for us.
Having just returned from buying a kosher turkey in Dallas, however, I feel I should point out that observing the kosher dietary laws adds a somewhat different dimension to Thanksgiving. Dallas is the nearest source of kosher meat, and although there are now two stores in the state of Oklahoma that carry any kind of kosher meat products at all, the limited selection has many Jews driving to Dallas or ordering meat online several times a year.
A kosher Thanksgiving meal would not involve, for example, both turkey and macaroni and cheese. Our family’s mashed potatoes use non-dairy margarine and soy milk, rather than butter and regular milk. Also, since it is the custom of many kosher-keeping American Jews to wait three hours between a meat meal and being able to eat dairy, our family eats our Thanksgiving meal at mid-day, and then we wait until late afternoon for our pie and whipped cream.
After we eat, there are Jewish prayers of thanks for the meal we have eaten. Birkat HaMazon, of “the Blessing of the Food,” is traditionally said after each time we break bread. We add Psalm 126 to the beginning of the prayers during the Sabbath and Jewish holidays. A great many American Jews add Psalm 126 to these prayers after our Thanksgiving meal, since it is a festive day for the American Jewish community — even though it is not a specifically Jewish holiday.
Finally, many American Jews enjoy a good Hebrew play-on-words during the Thanksgiving holiday. Psalm 136 includes the verse “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good,” which is repeated in many different places, including several weekly Jewish prayers. The Hebrew word for “give thanks” is ho-doo. The Hebrew word ho-doo — spelled the same but accented differently — means “turkey.” So, give turkey to the Lord, for it is good!
ABBY JACOBSON is the rabbi of Emanuel Synagogue at 900 N.W. 47th St., Oklahoma City, serving Jews of the Conservative movement across central Oklahoma. Jacobson serves on the boards of the Interfaith Alliance and Interfaith Power and Light. To contact Jacobson, email her at enterprisingrabbi@gmail.com.
Features
When Jews give thanks
- Features
-
-
Facebook's organ donor status sends registrations soaring
Facebook's addition of a way for its users to tell people their organ-donor status helped boost the number of people who registered as donors 21-fold in one day.
-
White House, NASA want help hunting asteroids
The White House and NASA on Tuesday will ask the public for help finding asteroids that potentially could slam into the Earth with catastrophic consequences.
-
Is it really possible to not know you're pregnant until the birth?
Trish Staine had just finished running 10 miles while training for a half-marathon when she started going into labor. The mother of three said she hadn't gained any weight or felt any fetal movement in the months before and had no idea she was pregnant. Is it possible for a woman not to know she's pregnant before she starts giving birth?
-
VIDEO: Rapper steps on American flag
Lil Wayne sparked a controversy when he stepped on an American flag during the filming of his new music video, but the rapper later said it was a mistake and unintentional.
-
VIDEO: Britney Spears' sons to make acting debut
Britney Spears recorded a new song for the "The Smurfs 2," and her sons Sean Preston and Jayden will make a cameo in the music video.
-
Expert panel will tackle gardening issues
Every community garden in Oklahoma serves as a reminder of what people can do if they come together to work towards a single purpose and goal.
That’s one reason the Oklahoma County Master Gardeners are offering a “Community Gardening” workshop from 1-3 p.m. July 9. -
Pope, archbishop of Canterbury meet
The neophyte holders of two of Christendom’s most venerable posts met for the first time Friday and spoke of fostering unity and understanding between their sometimes rival branches of the faith.
-
OCU Hebrew students to study Dead Sea scrolls
Students in a Biblical Hebrew class at Oklahoma City University will get a chance to study one of the Dead Sea Scrolls during the fall 2013 semester.
-
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever remains a real threat
Q: My dog Candy died last year from Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Is this that common in Oklahoma and how can I be sure neither one of my other dogs get it?
A: Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF) is a disease that can affect any of our pets as well as us. It is caused by the bacterium Rickettsia rickettsii and is transmitted by a variety of ticks. Three ticks can be found in Oklahoma that carry it. They include the Lone Star Tick, The Gulf Coast Tick (more common in the southeast U.S.) and the American Dog Tick. -
VET Q&A: Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever remains a real threat
Q: My dog Candy died last year from Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Is this that common in Oklahoma and how can I be sure neither one of my other dogs get it?
- More Features Headlines
-
