Today is Thanksgiving here in the States. It is a time for family and friends to gather around a festive holiday meal. That meal, traditionally of Turkey, cranberries and some kind of potatoes will have hundreds of ethnic variations in addition to Traditional foods so often pictured. My Vietnamese manicurist told me they prepare wonderful Pho for Thanksgiving in her home. My Italian neighbors always have spaghetti and sauce or a lasagna with their meal. Our Ecuadorian friends serve Pupusas with turkey instead of pork!
At each of these holiday tables words of gratitude and thanks are given for the abundance God has bestowed upon them. It doesn’t matter whether they are persons of means or not. Whether they are professionals or working class folks, Thanksgiving brings out into our consciousness that opportunity to give thanks for life itself !
So I know at my family’s table we will each take a moment to reflect on what we are grateful for in our lives. But we will also thank God in our ethnic/religious language as we recite the Motzi prayer and bless our children just like we do at the Shabbat table.
Give thanks-for whatever it is you have. And let me know what prayer you will say at your Thanksgiving dinner.