While Thanksgiving is technically a secular holiday, there are strong connections between Judaism and Thanksgiving. In fact, many people believe that Thanksgiving was modeled after the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. Thanksgiving has a complicated past to many and while many Jews choose to celebrate, others choose not to.
Regardless of whether or not you celebrate, the premise of taking a moment to embrace gratitude and say thank you is closely tied to Jewish values. We embrace Hakarat HaTov–recognizing the good–and we’re taught to say blessings of thanks throughout the day.
So if you’re looking for ways to make your Thanksgiving celebration more Jewish, or to simply bring more gratitude into your life, you don’t have to look far. Here are some helpful tips to get you started:
- Incorporate More Blessings: You can never be too grateful, especially not on Thanksgiving. Use this book of Gratitude Blessings to include Jewish prayers before, during, and after your Thanksgiving meal, or consider incorporating this blessing into your celebrations.
- Include a Land Acknowledgment: As Jews, we know what it means to have indigenous ties to the land. We also know what it means to lose that land. Thanksgiving is the perfect time to honor our connection with others who have lost their land, by including a land acknowledgment component into your meal.
- Remember the earth: Take the opportunity to celebrate the harvest–and connect to our Jewish holiday of Sukkot–by discussing ways that Americans can better help care for the earth and all of its natural resources. Find inspiration in this book of climate change rituals.
- Tell YOUR American story: Have all guests share the story of how and why their own family came to be in this country. You could even create your own family history book by uploading stories, letters, articles, and more on to Recustom and compiling them into a book that is unique for you and your family.
- Make a commitment to Tikkun Olam: Spend time reflecting on what makes our nation special and giving thanks for the freedoms we enjoy. Then read this poem and ask all guests to share how they plan to help make this country a better place in the next year.
For all those who celebrate, we wish you a meaningful, spiritual, and heartfelt Thanksgiving full of blessings. Be sure to share your Thanksgiving rituals with us on social media using #RecustomRituals!