Q:
What should our reaction be to the Thanksgiving holiday?
A:
And the answer is I came to shul this morning and when I saw the learning I saw that we had a bigger attendance than usual. I said, “What’s was the matter today? Is today a Yom Tov?” I didn’t know.
That’s our reaction. We shouldn’t even know that it exists.
Of course, these Jews reacted by coming to learn. More Jews came to learn today than always in the morning. That’s a good reaction too. But in general the reaction is that it doesn’t exist because it’s a church holiday. That’s what it originally was.
TAPE # 388 (November 1981)
Q:
Is it OK to go to a Thanksgiving party if we won’t eat turkey?
A:
And the answer is it’s like going to an X-mas party even though you won’t dance around the tree. Same thing.
If somebody invites you to such a party, thank them but tell them that you’re sorry but you already have a previous engagement. You have a bar mitzvah that day.
TAPE # 434 (November 1982)
