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<div class="elementToProof"><span style="font-family: Aptos, Aptos_EmbeddedFont, Aptos_MSFontService, Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><a href="https://ohr.edu/this_week/insights_into_halacha/11438" id="LPNoLPOWALinkPreview">https://ohr.edu/this_week/insights_into_halacha/11438</a></span></div>
<div class="elementToProof"><span style="font-family: Aptos, Aptos_EmbeddedFont, Aptos_MSFontService, Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br>
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<div class="elementToProof"><span style="font-family: Aptos, Aptos_EmbeddedFont, Aptos_MSFontService, Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">One of the interesting aspects of being American and living in the ‘<i>Medina shel Chessed</i>’
is dealing with secular holidays. A day off of work, more time to learn, and suspended Alternate Side parking rules are always appreciated. Of these holidays, Thanksgiving is by far the most popular among
<i>Yidden</i>, with many keeping some semblance of observance, generally as a way of saying ‘Thank You’ and showing a form of
<i>Hakaras HaTov</i> to our host country. Although all agree that showing <i>Hakaras HaTov</i> is prudent, on the other hand, it is well known that there were contemporary
<i>Poskim</i> who were wary of any form of actual Thanksgiving observance. This article sets out to explore the history and
<i>halachic</i> issues of this very American holiday.</span></div>
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<p class="elementToProof" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Aptos, Aptos_EmbeddedFont, Aptos_MSFontService, Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><b>Thanksgiving: Religious or Secular?</b></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Aptos, Aptos_EmbeddedFont, Aptos_MSFontService, Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">But to understand how this affects us and possible Thanksgiving observance, we must first ascertain whether Thanksgiving
is truly a religious holiday or a secular one. Of the aforementioned Thanksgiving observances, all were declared as a unique day expressly designated to thank G-d for all of his ‘gracious gifts.’ This implies that it is meant to be a religious holiday. Yet,
only the Continental Congress’s proclamation made reference to the Christian deity. Additionally, there is no actual religious service connected with the day at all. Furthermore, nowadays, the vast majority of Americans simply associate Thanksgiving with food
(mainly turkey), football, and family, and take the day off. This implies that its observance is strictly secular. Which is the real Thanksgiving?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Aptos, Aptos_EmbeddedFont, Aptos_MSFontService, Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><b>Contemporary Rulings</b></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Aptos, Aptos_EmbeddedFont, Aptos_MSFontService, Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">As with many issues in
<i>halacha</i>, there are different approaches to Thanksgiving observance. In fact, Rav Moshe Feinstein alone has written four different responsa on topic, spanning several decades.<a href="https://ohr.edu/11438#_edn12" id="OWA6a0bc67d-02e4-bd6a-cdf8-7b2ca9adfd45" class="OWAAutoLink" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;" data-loopstyle="linkonly">[12]</a> Although
in the earlier <i>teshuvos</i> he seems to be against the idea of a Thanksgiving celebration (there possibly was more religious connotations involved in the early 1960s celebrations than in the 1980s), nevertheless, in his later
<i>teshuvos</i> he does allow a Thanksgiving observance (he notes that it is <b>not</b> a religious celebration) with turkey being served, as long as it is not seen as an obligatory annual celebration,<a href="https://ohr.edu/11438#_edn13" id="OWA0715939e-5df6-c60b-cd6a-99296039db6f" class="OWAAutoLink" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">[13]</a> but
rather as a periodical ‘<i>simchas reshus.</i>’ All the same, Rav Moshe concludes that it is still preferable not to have a celebration specifically for Thanksgiving.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Aptos, Aptos_EmbeddedFont, Aptos_MSFontService, Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Other contemporary
<i>poskim</i> who allowed eating turkey on Thanksgiving include Rav Eliezer Silver, Rav Yosef Dov (J.B.) Soloveitchik,<a href="https://ohr.edu/11438#_edn14" id="OWAf26b3c0f-6e42-a540-adbb-d55981ca045b" class="OWAAutoLink" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">[14]</a> the
<i>Rivevos Efraim</i>,<sup><sup><a href="https://ohr.edu/11438#_edn15" id="OWA8e13e6c7-4f88-0fc3-adf4-6365ca67b18b" class="OWAAutoLink" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">[15]</a></sup></sup> and Rav Yehuda Herzl Henkin.<a href="https://ohr.edu/11438#_edn16" id="OWAeeedb389-cf80-927a-580a-34767eb4042e" class="OWAAutoLink" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">[16]</a>
They explain that Thanksgiving is “only a day of thanks and not, Heaven forbid, for idol celebration.” They therefore maintain that merely eating turkey on Thanksgiving cannot be considered
<i>Chukos HaGoyim</i>.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Aptos, Aptos_EmbeddedFont, Aptos_MSFontService, Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">On the other hand, other contemporary authorities disagree. Rav Yitzchok Hutner, Rosh Yeshivas Rabbeinu Chaim
Berlin, is quoted as maintaining that the establishment of Thanksgiving as an annual holiday that is based on the Christian calendar is, at the very least, closely associated with
<i>Avodah Zarah</i> and therefore prohibited.<sup><sup><a href="https://ohr.edu/11438#_edn17" id="OWA3a085089-cb4b-ffa8-de32-a0673af2bb53" class="OWAAutoLink" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">[17]</a></sup></sup> He explains that its annual observance
classifies it as a ‘holiday’ and celebrating Gentile holidays is obviously not permitted.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Aptos, Aptos_EmbeddedFont, Aptos_MSFontService, Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">It is well known that Rav Avigdor Miller was a strong proponent of this view as well, as Thanksgiving’s origins
belie that it was actually established as a religious holiday.<a href="https://ohr.edu/11438#_edn18" id="OWAaf22ed86-acbc-1b4b-f62c-6898e92f50db" class="OWAAutoLink" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">[18]</a></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Aptos, Aptos_EmbeddedFont, Aptos_MSFontService, Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Similarly, Rav Menashe Klein ruled that it is a prohibited to celebrate Thanksgiving.<sup><sup><a href="https://ohr.edu/11438#_edn19" id="OWA768ffcb8-4fa9-23f0-5500-004016ff29de" class="OWAAutoLink" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">[19]</a></sup></sup> Aside
from citing the <i>Vilna Gaon’s</i> opinion, which would outright prohibit any such celebration, he mentions that although the Thanksgiving holiday was originally established by Pilgrims rejoicing over their own survival, that they didn’t starve due to their
finding the turkey, and might not be considered <i>Chukos HaGoyim</i>, nevertheless there is another prohibition involved. The
<i>Shulchan Aruch</i>, based on a <i>Mishnah</i> in <i>Maseches Avodah Zarah</i>, rules that if an idolater makes a personal holiday for various reasons (i.e. his birthday, was let out of jail, etc.) and at that party he thanks his gods, it is prohibited to
join in that celebration.<a href="https://ohr.edu/11438#_edn20" id="OWAacc66a51-b8f6-e5df-66ad-c433fa060663" class="OWAAutoLink" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">[20]</a></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Aptos, Aptos_EmbeddedFont, Aptos_MSFontService, Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Rav Klein posits that the same would apply to Thanksgiving, as it commemorates the original Pilgrim Thanksgiving,
thanking G-d for the turkey and their survival, and would be certainly prohibited, and possibly even Biblically.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Aptos, Aptos_EmbeddedFont, Aptos_MSFontService, Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">An analogous ruling was given by Rav Feivel Cohen
<i>zt”l</i> (author of the <i>Badei HaShulchan</i>) and <i>yblch”t</i> Rav Dovid Cohen
<i>shlit”a</i> (of <i>Gevul Ya’avetz</i>), albeit for different reasons.<sup><sup><a href="https://ohr.edu/11438#_edn21" id="OWAf383b94f-e9da-3a2a-b71e-f08faf4539dc" class="OWAAutoLink" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">[21]</a></sup></sup> Rav Feivel
Cohen takes a seemingly extreme position, maintaining that not only is it forbidden for a Jew to celebrate Thanksgiving, it is even prohibited for a Gentile to do so as well!<a href="https://ohr.edu/11438#_edn22" id="OWA8945fb9b-4f38-b1ba-123e-10bdd5405845" class="OWAAutoLink" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">[22]</a></span></p>
<p class="elementToProof"><span style="font-family: Aptos, Aptos_EmbeddedFont, Aptos_MSFontService, Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Rav Dovid Cohen, on the other hand, writes that for a Jew to eat turkey on Thanksgiving
expressly for the sake of the holiday should be prohibited by the rule of <i>Tosafos</i>, as it would be deemed following an irrational rule of theirs that is improper to follow. Yet, he concedes that it is not prohibited for a family to get together on a
day off from work and eat turkey together, as long as they do so not to celebrate Thanksgiving, but rather because they like turkey. Even so, he concludes that it is still preferable not to do so.</span></p>
<p class="elementToProof"><span style="font-family: Aptos, Aptos_EmbeddedFont, Aptos_MSFontService, Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br>
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<p class="elementToProof"><span style="font-family: Aptos, Aptos_EmbeddedFont, Aptos_MSFontService, Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">See the above URL for much more.</span></p>
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<p class="elementToProof"><span style="font-family: Aptos, Aptos_EmbeddedFont, Aptos_MSFontService, Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Professor Yitzchok Levine<br>
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