One of my favorite holidays, I must confess, is our American Holiday of Thanksgiving. Being a sports junkie, I honor my love for sports as I always look forward to and watch every moment of NFL football on Thanksgiving Day, College Football throughout Thanksgiving weekend and the NBA Basketball games that take place at that time of year as well.
But along with watching and enjoying the spectator sports on Thanksgiving Weekend comes a different blessing during such a wonderful weekend that happens every year in our lives.
Yes, there is a love for "the four F's on Thanksgiving!" Food, Family, Friends and Football. However, Thanksgiving is "the time" when as Americans, we have the moral duty to honor ourselves, our families and our country by taking the time to be together with those whom we love celebrating with. Whether it is through Turkey and Stuffing, Mashed Potatoes and Yams, Cranberry Sauce and Pumpkin Pie, every Thanksgiving weekend, we have to honor and praise our United States of America for giving us the freedom to be Americans and for the precious gift of freedom our country gives to us, allowing us to express ourselves as Jews.
We must make the time to speak about what we love about living in America and what we especially love most about those who are special to us. There are two Hebrew words that we use for the American Holiday of Thanksgiving, and they are Chag HoDayah, which literally mean: "Holiday of Thanks".
As we take the time to honor ourselves, our families and our country through the "Four F's of Thanksgiving, "Food, Family, Friends and Football" let us offer our own prayers of gratitude and thanks to God for all that we have and all that awaits us in the future. Our prayers "Do Not" have to come from a prayer book, nor do they have to be in a foreign language that we do not understand, rather our prayers need to come from our hearts and our souls, entering our lips and mouths as they are shared with those around us on such a blessed and holy weekend.
I urge all of us to begin our Thanksgiving weekend together on "Erev Thanksgiving" Wednesday, November 22 at 7:30 P.M. in our sanctuary for our city wide Interfaith and Ecumenical Thanksgiving Service.
May God bless our United States of America and shield all Americans from every enemy and danger that cross our paths. Help us God, to hold sacred the liberties and freedoms which are so important to us and to our country. May our country, the United States of America, together with all others in our world who treasure the values of freedom and democracy, achieve as quickly as possible a world where there is only justice and peace.
Michelle, Brianah, Julia and I wish all of us a blessed Thanksgiving full with my four F's of Thanksgiving - Family, Friends, Food and most important of all, FOOTBALL!
Kol Tuv, Chag Hodayah Sameyakh,
A Happy Thanksgiving To Everyone,
Rabbi Micah Caplan
