What's the difference between sweet potatoes and yams?

Do you know the difference between sweet potatoes and yams?  I don’t nor do I even especially like either.  They may be the same thing.  Maybe not.  You can discuss it at the Thanksgiving table.  (See here for a summary of the opinions as well as Stephen Colbert’s take on Thanksgiving table debates.)

I love Thanksgiving!

I know there have been articles written about whether Jews can or should celebrate Thanksgiving.  Does Thanksgiving have Christian origins or is it simply an American holiday devoted to the very universal ideal of gratitude? 

I don’t care.  Thanksgiving is as Jewish as apple pie is American! 

It is a day when all Americans can celebrate together.  It is a holiday when rabbis don’t have to give sermons or officiate at services.  It is a day when we can all have the festive meal and drive home afterwards.  

It is a day devoted to gratitude.  We need gratitude.

“I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” - G.K. Chesterton

Gratitude is at the core of who we are.  It is the source of so many values and good character traits.  Gratitude is central to happiness and satisfaction and an awareness of how good the world can be.

Jews are thankful people.  Literally.

We wake up with the words: Modeh ani – I give thanks.

Jews are called yehudim, which originates from the tribe of Yehudah (Judah).  Leah named her fourth son Yehudah because of her gratitude to God. 

Being a Yehudi (Jew) means being grateful and aware of just how much we have.

What do we have?

In this week’s Torah portion, we can gain a perspective in appreciating what we have.

Yaakov (Jacob) sends a gift to Esav (Esau) to placate him.  The reunion goes reasonably well.  Esav is impressed by the gift but resists accepting it by saying to Yaakov:  “I have a lot (yesh li rav); you keep what is yours.”

Yaakov insists that Esav accept the gift and says, “God has been gracious to me, and I have everything (yesh li kol).”  Esav then accepts the gift.

Here we see two mindsets.  Esav views what he has as being significant.  Maybe he is even grateful for having plenty, but there is still room for more.  Yaakov, however, is completely satisfied with what he has.  He needs nothing else for he has it all.

Rav versus Kol.  We can and should be grateful for having a lot, but can we be so grateful that having what we have is having it all?

We should try. 

Think about how much each of us has.  There is always room for more, but when we say thank you, can we view what we have as having it all?

What am I thankful for?  Just off the top of my head, here are a few things:

-                             Family

-                             Food (especially today’s turkey and stuffing)

-                             Friends

-                            State of Israel (where some people are celebrating Thanksgiving)

-                         Life having meaning and purpose

-                         Ability to help and make an impact on others

Thanksgiving affords us with an opportunity for a religious experience.  We say thank you every day and all the time.  Thanksgiving reinforces that Jewish responsibility while providing us a chance to ask ourselves:

What am I thankful for today on Thanksgiving and every day?  How can I best appreciate that having a lot is really having it all?

Happy Thanksgiving!