Our Rabbi's Message
November 27th 2009
By Rabbi Aaron KriegelThanksgiving is a true American and Jewish holiday. In fact it is a time that all who are religious and live in this land can take time and thank God, however they define God to be, for the blessing of this country. We are the first place on earth that not only allows, but also encourages people of different faiths and different traditions to live together. America is the first place where one can be proud of his or her ethnic and religious heritage.
America means that where one comes from is something to be proud of. If one runs for office, one has the right to use his or her heritage in order to sell his/her candidacy. We are a greater country because so many elected and appointed officials speak with their native accents.
We are a great country because the spirit of Thanksgiving bespeaks the spirit of America. The idea that dreams can come true is still the American dream. The idea that hope, lost in most countries of the world, is the fuel that drives the American spirit is celebrated on Thanksgiving Day.
There is no liturgy, which tells us what to do on this day. There is no Book of Thanksgiving. What we do is part of an oral tradition, which carries the same sanctity of oral traditions in every religious culture. What we do on Thanksgiving is but commentary to the many blessings that all Americans share and that all people everywhere dream to acquire.
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