Thoughts on Thanksgiving

In America, we have our national holidays like Independence Day, Presidents Day, and Memorial Day. Other countries have similar holidays. And we have various religious holidays, that are also celebrated in other countries. But it would seem an oxymoron to have a national religious holiday in America, especially considering the basic American principle that there will be no official state religion. Our founding fathers solved this by creating a religious holiday that could be celebrated by Americans of all religions. It is uniquely American that we have a holiday on which we praise and thank God for allowing us to live in this great nation where we can practice our religion as we please without government interference. In my mind, this convergence makes Thanksgiving Day the most special of American holidays.

The following comments are by the author Dennis Prager.

“Thanksgiving is quintessentially American, it is deeply religious without being denominational and it is based entirely on one of the most important, and noble, traits a human being can have — gratitude. Gratitude is the foundation of both happiness and goodness. Neither happiness nor goodness is possible without gratitude. If all human beings were grateful, there would be little evil in the world. It says an immense amount about America and its value system that it long ago began, and later officially enshrined, a national holiday just for the purpose of giving thanks. It speaks to the centrality of God in American history and it speaks to the optimistic, happy and goodness-producing spirit that we call Americanism.”

As a Jew, there is only one religious holiday that I share with my neighboring Christians and Muslims— Thanksgiving. This day therefore joins me and my family with our fellow Americans in a unique way. Only good can come from having people get together to declare their gratitude as Americans. Indeed, given the overwhelming importance of gratitude in inculcating goodness and happiness in people, Thanksgiving is arguably America’s most important day of the year.

In 1789, President George Washington issued the first national Thanksgiving proclamation. It reads as follows:

“Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me to “recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:”

Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shown kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand, at the city of New York, the 3d day of October, A.D. 1789.”

So let us spend the day with our family and friends, with joy and camaraderie, but more importantly with gratitude to God for the safety, opportunity, and happiness that we enjoy here in America. The word in Hebrew for holiday is “yom tov”, literally “good day”. I would say that Thanksgiving isn’t just a good day, I would say it’s America’s best day.