By definition the Modern Orthodox does not make chumras (stringencies) for itself. Generally, modern orthodoxy is about being an observant Jew without all of the social and communal obligations that have been invented over the years to separate from secular world. Even though they are just as religious and in some cases more religious than their black hat brethren, Modern Orthodox Jews are really not taking on extra chumras and being really strict on things, except for two holidays which are not even biblical. Thanksgiving and Israeli Independence Day.
Why are so many Modern Orthodox Jews always so strict with those two day’s which are nowhere in near importance as so many other days and things which seemed to get pushed to the wayside. Is their strictness in celebrating Thanksgiving and Yom Ha’atzmaut just a response to the black hat bretherens mistreatment of these days, or is it vital in their quest for mixing Judaism and modernity?
Don’t get me wrong, I am not against celebrating either of these days, but I am definitely not machmir about it. I am working on Thanksgiving (cooking for those people who are off – we call them the 1% these days) and I generally don’t remember Yom Ha’atzmaut, though I think that if I lived in Israel and had more a connection to the land and history surrounding the day I may actually come to realize its significance.
I remember the arguments and discussion in yeshiva around Thanksgiving time. Everyone would chime in about whether their family had a meal or not. The Rabbis would say that every day is a day of thanks, which was a kind of segway into why we don’t do Hallel on Yom Ha’atzmaut. Funny how Thanksgiving Day and Israeli Independence Day could be directly related in the yeshivish world.
I grew up having a meal on Thanksgiving, but we never really celebrated it b’shita, it wasn’t out minhag. We went to a meal because Thanksgiving meals rock the boat. You get to eat this awesome meal and you don’t have to dress up or bench (I have noticed that we only really benched on shabbos as kids) and then afterward you get to watch a movie. I kind of wondered what having a heavy midday meal and watching TV had to do witrh giving thanks for our great Nation, but I never really asked. Hallel, like many of the Modox say on Yom Ha’atzmaut would be more fitting for a true Jewish thanksgiving day celebration.
if thanksgiving is everyday, why aren’t more people giving thanks everyday?
That’s kind of what blessings on food are all about. And the last three blessings in Shemona Esrei.
…
Baruch ata hashem, hatov shimcha ulecha naeh lehodot isn’t just “kind of” that. It’s pretty exactly that.
Blessed are you, Hashem, for your name is good and and to you it pleasing to give thanks.
Yup. I was just being mellow.
My bobbe and zaidy came to America after going through concentration camps. They were very thankful to be here, so they celebrated Thanksgiving. My bobbe felt that people who don’t do Thanksgiving are just showing a lack of hakarat hatov towards America, which has been a safe haven for us for many years.
My in-laws a”h came to America from the D.P. Camps and were hardcore about Thanksgiving. I like it b/c you eat like it’s Yom Tov and can still watch TV and go online. It’s like a BT’s dream come true.
A BTs dream come true. True.
> The Rabbis would say that every day is a day of thanks,
And we have a mitzvah to remember yetzias mitzrayim yomam v’lalyla, but we celebrate Pesach anyway.
Thanksgiving has its roots in Christianity, which might be a valid reason not to celebrate it. The Pilgrims had as part of their charter a commitment to celebrate a day of thanksgiving upon reaching the New World. The Pilgrims were Puritans, who came to America to have the religious freedom to persecute those who didn’t agree with their religion. They were thanking Jesus for bringing them safely to their new home.
On the other hand, Thanksgiving today is mostly about a big family meal, with a general sense of being thankful for the good things in our lives.
That is incorrect. There were pilgrims who were puritans but the pligrims (the ones who celebrated the first Thanksgiving) were seperarists, not Puritans.
“And we have a mitzvah to remember yetzias mitzrayim yomam v’lalyla, but we celebrate Pesach anyway.”
With a major difference.”Lmaan tizkor es yom tzaischo m’eretz mitzraim” is simply fulfilled by saying all three paragraphs of the Shema twice a day,thereby “remembering” yitzias mitzraim, whereas celebration of Pesach requires much more.”Vehigaditoh lebincho” requires a much greater conscious effort to to ask, discuss and demonstrate as much as one possibly can that which is relevant to yetzias mitzraim.”Kol hamarbeh lesaper beyitzias mitzraim harai zeh meshuboch”
You realize that the ‘first Thanksgiving’ mythos of happy settlers sitting around with their Native American friends eating pumpkin pie are about as true as the George Washington/cherry tree story.
I actually never heard this about Thanksgiving but about Mother’s and Father’s Day. That every day we have a mitzva to honor our parents.
One mainstream Orthodox rabbi told me he disagreed with that notion. He told me that in the famous story of Dama ben Nesina – the non-Jew who took extreme measures to honor his parents – the Maharal writes that Gemara’s message is that we should learn from the non-Jews and up our act. He said that he believes that if the non-Jews have established one day a year to be extra nice to their parents then we should learn from them and follow suit.
Accordingly, he might say the same about Thanksgiving.
But he is my father. So I don’t know how much he meant it in the first place, or how much he just wanted that gift…
My family always had Thanksgiving with the family and I wouldn’t call us MoDox, especially back in the day. Never even knew people didn’t though until I got to yeshiva, at which point it became super assur. I happen not to be doing it this year, because I’m working and I’m not a big turkey guy, but my family is, and I would if I were off. Maybe I’ll get a turkey schwarma, have extra kavanah in Modim and be yotzei.
In fact, Jews in America enthusiastically embraced the first official Thanksgiving proclaimed in 1789 by George Washington in his first year as President. The very first Thanksgiving Day sermon ever published was by Chazzan Gershom Mendes Seixas, then leader of the Jewish community in New York, and not by a Christian. It is thus an older minhag than many of the charedi chumrot!
Hey look, it’s charlie. long time no see. come back and visit sometime.
“It is thus an older minhag than many of the charedi chumrot!”
And way older than Modern Orthodoxy, while we’re at it.
Fancy meeting you two here. It’s yitayningwut.
Seriously? Thanksgiving is the 4th of July but with a seudah. Yom Ha’Atzmaut commemorates Israel’s miraculous victory in 1948—just like Chanukah and Purim. How are these two holidays in the same league?
It’s honestly nice to have a holiday that isn’t a holiday. It’s much more mellow than our ‘real holidays’. (Mother’s/Father’s Day nice like that also.)
Bah, Chukot HaGoy. But so are Channukah presents (which in my case was always something lame like a dreidel anyway). Black Friday is hands down Chukot HaGoy.