At the Brooklyn yeshivah I attended as a kid all those years ago, school was in session on many secular and non-Jewish holidays. Christmas meant a full day, and Presidents’ Day was morning only, just for Jewish instruction. Thanksgiving was also a half-day, and this holiday, as long as the turkey was kosher, was fine for celebration in the eyes of our rabbis. In fact, in many ways, Thanksgiving felt like a Jewish holiday, with all the food, family and good times.

Acts of thanksgiving are deeply embedded in the Jewish tradition. Among the many ritual sacrifices included in the Torah, for instance, there were offerings to atone for sin, mark the Jewish holidays, and express thanksgiving for personal wellbeing, although, I have to admit, I can’t say that turkey was ever on the Temple High Priest’s menu. We also find themes of thanksgiving in our prayers. For instance, the Amidah’s modim speaks a collective thanksgiving to God as the source of all good. Each morning, the Modeh Ani prayer, thanking God for restoring the soul after a night of sleep, is the first thing a Jew says upon waking each morning. And thanksgiving is implicit in all our blessings over the things we eat, celebrate and do in the Jewish tradition and life. Many of our prayers, known as Prayers of Petition, ask God for health, peace and other important needs. Yet prayers and practices of thanksgiving also hold an honored and longstanding place.

Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Giving Tuesday have yet to make the list. But Thanksgiving Day is almost on it, I think, and I hope you had a good one.

Rabbi Dennis Ross