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| Rabbi Meir Soloveichik discussing the Jewish/Christian relationship (Tikvah) |
Regardless of the theological differences in interpretation,
many of their customs are taken straight from the biblical narrative, which is
nearly identical to our own. Thanksgiving is an example of this tradition. It
is based on the Yom Tov of Sukkos in its identity as Chag Ha’Asif. We
are commanded to celebrate the gathering of the crops at the end of the
agricultural season and give thanks to HaShem for His bounty.
Even though, as gentiles, the Puritans were not required to
do so, they felt an obligation to thank God for their bounty at this
time of year—when they too had finished harvesting their crops. There is no
better example of the ‘Judeo’ part of the Judeo-Christian ethic than this. That
they cared about the values taught in the Old Testament strongly supports those
who say that the American values of the Founding Fathers were rooted in the
same biblical orientation as their Puritan forebearers.
The promise of America does not disappoint. Even now, at a
time of heightened antisemitism. All one has to do is look at the city of
Lakewood, New Jersey, to see what America’s creed of religious freedom has
wrought. That unfettered freedom has allowed a small village to grow into a
metropolis of Torah study and observant Judaism, unlike any other city in
America. Without the slightest bit of government interference.
Whether one agrees with their hashkafos or not, one
cannot escape the fact that this city exists and has grown exponentially since
the yeshiva world was first established there by Rav Aharon Kotler. And of
course, Lakewood is not the only example of how we, the Jewish people, have
benefitted from the blessings this nation’s founders and leaders have bestowed
upon us. The freedom to worship God in any way we choose has resulted in a
virtual explosion of yeshivos, Jewish high schools, and elementary schools. Something
our European ancestors, living under varying degrees of antisemitic oppression,
could never have dreamed of. This freedom is enshrined in the Constitution.
Although some on the fringes may wish to take it away, it is too deeply
embedded in the American ethos to succeed. Most Americans would not tolerate
it.
To those who say that Thanksgiving is not a Jewish holiday -
or worse, that it has some non-Jewish religious aspect and therefore should not
be celebrated - I would urge them to consider that they may be entirely off
base. Worse yet, rejecting a national holiday designed to give thanks for our
good fortune as Jews living in this time and in this place is an insult to our
gracious American hosts, who have been so good to us.
I’m not saying that everyone must eat a big festive turkey
dinner today—although there is certainly nothing wrong with that. What I am
saying is that instinctively rejecting a secular holiday simply because it is
not explicitly Jewish - and doing so publicly - may actually be a chillul
Hashem. Instead, we should express public gratitude, especially on a national
holiday where gratitude is in its name
Hakoras HaTov – gratitude - for what this great
nation has given us cannot and must not be overlooked. We must show our
appreciation to this country, to its founders, and to its leaders for carrying
that torch. And more importantly, we must be grateful to God for His kindness
in allowing us to live at a time and in a country like this.
Happy Thanksgiving.
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