Dear friends,
As you know, this coming Thursday is not only Thanksgiving day, but also the first day of Chanukah, making it “Thanksgivukkah.” Most people have been saying that this won’t happen again for thousands of years, though my colleague Rabbi David Seidenberg makes a compelling case that it will happen again in 2070. (He also offers a lovely suggestion for blessing our children or grandchildren who will live to see that next Thanksgivukkah.) In any event: it’s going to be a festive day twice over!
Attached is a pdf file which contains:
- a prayer for Thanksgivukkah written by Rabbi Jason Miller
- a prayer for the Thanksgiving meal written by me
- a prayer for Thanksgiving written by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi
- and sheet music for a one-line grace after meals.
ThanksgivukkahBlessings [downloadable pdf]
I hope that one or all of these will bring extra joy, mindfulness, and gratitude to your Thanksgivukkah table.
In Hebrew, the name for Thanksgiving is Yom Hodu, “Day of Gratitude.” (Hoda’ah means gratitude or thankfulness.) But the word hodu also means turkey, the animal which is traditional Thanksgiving fare. So Yom Hodu means both “Day of Gratitude” (or “Thanksgiving Day”) and “Day of Turkey.” May your Yom Hodu contain an abundance of gratitude — and, for those who aren’t vegetarians, an abundance of turkey, too!
Blessings to all,
Rabbi Rachel
CBI: From the Rabbi 