American's celebrate lots of holidays that aren't Jewish. Jews who live in America celebrate them, too. Despite the secular nature of some of these holidays, Jews can give them a Jewish flavor. In fact, anyone from any religion can infuse them with a bit of spirituality.
Thanksgiving is a good example. It's a holiday focused on giving thanks, on being grateful. We remember how the pilgrims thanked God for the great harvest they had after a long hard winter and for the friends they found in their neighbors, the American Indians. Each Thanksgiving, we remember their gratitude and enjoy a similar meal and express our thanks as well. We retell the story.
This isn't unlike what we do at Passover when we retell the story of the Israelites exodus from Egypt and eat symbolic foods, including matzoh, which is the unleavened bread the Israelites made in their hurry to leave Egypt. We remember and express our gratitude.
Jews also say a lot of blessings. We can find a blessing for almost anything. "Baruch ata Adonai..." we say. "Blessed are You, God..." This is not much different than offering gratitude to God. I used to tell my children, who couldn't remember the Hebrew blessings for all the things they might want to bless during the day, to simply say, "Thank you, God, for..." and to fill in the blank--"for the rainbow," "for this ice cream," "for my friends," "for this food I'm about to eat," for my home." We are supposed to say "thank you" one hundred times a day.
On Thanksgiving, make the holiday spirtual by remembering all the things--large and small that you feel grateful for. Offer a prayer of thanks. Gratitude--in any language (Hebrew or English)--is the most powerful prayer you can offer. Go around the table and have everyone say something they feel thankful for. Relate a story...a story of gratitude. Thank your family members. Thank God.
To listen to a podcast about making Thanksgiving both meaninful and spiritual, click here.
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