A Jewish Thanksgiving¶
The Idea¶
American Thanksgiving traditionally commemorates the Puritan immigration—people fleeing religious persecution in Europe to build a new society in the Americas. But they weren’t the only ones. Jews have been fleeing to the Americas for 500 years: from the Inquisition, from pogroms, from quotas, from the Holocaust. Both are American stories.
Both groups fled persecution, but with different orientations. The Puritans fled to something—a place to build their city on a hill, to practice their rigorous covenant. Hardship was part of the point, suffering a path to virtue. Jews fled from something. The destination mattered less than the departure. The goal was for the suffering to stop.
A Jewish Thanksgiving isn’t a departure from American tradition. It’s a celebration of a different strand of it.
This difference can shape the meal itself.
The traditional turkey demands vigilance and sacrifice of the day—a performance of effort, the host as martyr. A Jewish Thanksgiving centers brisket instead: a dish that asks you to do the work days earlier, then rest, then eat in peace with your family. The means serve the end rather than being the end.
In Berakhot 5b, rabbis visiting the sick ask before offering healing: “Is your suffering dear to you?” The answer is always no. Suffering is not worth that much. Take the healing.
A Thanksgiving where you can sleep in, start cooking at 2pm, and gather without exhaustion is not a lesser Thanksgiving. The meal is the point. The gathering is the point. Not the labor.
Day-Of Timeline¶
Wake up when you want. Coffee. Parade if that’s your thing. Start at 2pm for a 4pm meal.
Time |
Task |
|---|---|
2:00 |
Stuffing into oven |
2:30 |
Brisket into oven (covered, 300°F) |
3:00 |
Potatoes into boiling water |
3:30 |
Green vegetable, warm gravy, rolls in oven |
4:00 |
Mash potatoes, serve |
Peace and quiet. That’s the goal.