Holidays are always hard for me to write about. The one we have celebrated this week is one of the top ones that brings families together… coming home for the holidays is a familiar refrain. With all the food, family customs and Christmas hype it is not hard to overlook that it has a history and meaning that transcends centuries. The American holiday of Thanksgiving in some ways, while celebrated differently most likely has its roots in the Jewish tradition of giving thanks to God. Some information I have gleaned suggests that some historians believe that the early pilgrims got that idea from the Biblical festival Sukkot. It is written that the pilgrims lived in exile for a decade among the Sephardic Jews in Holland, before coming to the New World. The Pilgrims were devout Calvinists and Puritans and I am sure they observed many of the Jewish festivals and holidays of that time, they regarded themselves as the new Israel. They would have been familiar with Sukkot, the Jews journey to their promised land and the Jewish custom of such festivals, giving thanks to God for what they had and what God had done for them. So it is not that hard to understand, that these Pilgrims on a journey to their “Promised Land”, upon arriving there and settling there would incorporate the holiday of Thanksgiving as the way to remember and thank God for all they had. Thus Sukkot became a model for them. I always get nervous when I write or speak of others customs, not wanting to be disrespectful or inaccurate in my discourse. This below is from gotquestions.org 

“The Feast of Tabernacles takes place on the 15th of the Hebrew month Tishri. This was the seventh month on the Hebrew calendar and usually occurs in late September to mid-October. The feast begins five days after the Day of Atonement and at the time the fall harvest had just been completed. It was a time of joyous celebration as the Israelites celebrated God’s continued provision for them in the current harvest and remembered His provision and protection during the 40 years in the wilderness.”

There is an undeniable likeness in the appearance of this Jewish tradition and the Christian celebration of Thanksgiving but some Jewish writers do not fully agree with what others have written. Having written that let me share this with you. Consider the the last part of that quote from Got Questions… “It was a time of joyous celebration as the Israelites celebrated God’s continued provision for them in the current harvest and remembered His provision and protection during the 40 years in the wilderness.” That is the original intent of this our celebration…thanking God for what we have and the assurance of God’s provision and protection as we go forward.

In closing this weeks blog… Difference Between The Difference… The answer is..…Commonality 

Life is Good

jk