Because Tomorrow's a Holiday, Right?

[gnomi]

All day long, I've been wondering, "What time tonight does Thanksgiving come in?"

Happy Thanksgiving to all who are celebrating.

Happy Thursday to everyone else.

Comments

[donovanstitch.livejournal.com]

The most exhaustive online discussion of the religious propriety of Jewish observance of Thanksgiving is at: http://www.tfdixie.com/special/thanksg.htm.

Basically, some Orthodox Jews (myself excluded) have a concern that, per zmook's question, Thanksgiving might be a primarily religious-oriented holiday promulgated by Christians, and thus problematic for Jews to "observe."

Given the absence of any definite religious practice associated with Thanksgiving, the analysis and debate described in the essay focus to a large extent on the specific elements of Thanksgiving "observance." Framing the analysis this way creates an instant (and somewhat amusing) analogy to the formal requirements associated with the fulfillment of defined religious obligations on Jewish holidays. Thus, the question of whether an observant Jew can eat turkey at a festive meal on Thanksgiving (thus "fulfilling" the essential "required" elements of the day) is roughly evaluated within the same analytical framework as eating matza at a seder. In considering the origins of Thanksgiving in this vein, I was mildly surprised to see no mention of the obvious link between Thanksgiving and the Jewish/biblical harvest festival of Sukkot, of which the Pilgrims were certainly aware.

For the record, I had a turkey meal with family yesterday, as I do most years. Halloween this isn't.