Q: What is your opinion about celebrating the holiday of Thanksgiving tonight with a turkey dinner?
A: Thanksgiving is a holiday that was manufactured by gentiles for the purpose of going to church. Thatโs what the original purpose was. And therefore itโs avoda zara and Jews are forbidden to participate in such a thing. If you eat turkey especially for Thanksgiving, youโre an oveid avoda zara. Thatโs my opinion.
Now, some people are weak in this matter; but I think itโs real avoda zara; I think itโs ืืืจื ืืื ืืขืืืจ. I think a Jew shouldnโt eat turkey on Thanksgiving at all! He should make a sacrifice not to eat turkey. Because itโs a Christian observance you understand. Itโs not a legal holiday alone. Itโs only recently that it became a โlegal holiday.โ But it used to be a Christian holiday and thatโs what it is, all the way down till today.
So what happens? In a Beit Hakisei called Shaโarei Torah, on Albemarle Road โ thereโs a toilet there called Shaโarei Torah; so today they had a special service there; they had there a Jewish so-called rabbi, and a reform rabbi and a priest and a minister. A whole mishmash of Christianity and so on. Thatโs what happens when Jews start going after the idolatry of the gentiles.
Q:
But isnโt that only if eating turkey has religious symbolism?
A:
No, it doesnโt have to have religious symbolism to be a problem. As long as itโs connected with the holiday and the holiday has religious symbolism, thatโs enough to make it forbidden. Thereโs a gemara that says itโs forbidden to wear laurel leaf on the day of a certain gentile avoda zara. Now, laurel has no religious significance. But because the gentiles wear laurel on that day, itโs forbidden.
However, like I told you earlier thereโs somebody who permits it, and even though I say itโs all wrong, Iโm not going to force my opinion on you. But if anybody in my synagogue would ask me such a question, I would give it to him. But since youโre not in my synagogue, so Iโll let you go.
TAPE # R-30 (November 1972)
Just had my turkey. ๐๐
It’s a family tradition dating back to the 1800’s,when my great, great grandparents arrived on the shores of NY from Lithuania!!
Definitely Not ืข”ืโ
( By the way, my great grandmother & all of her children stayed ืฉืืืจ ืฉืืช!)
๐ฆ -ืืืื
‘ืื
ืื
ืืื
ืื
ืืขืืื
! ืืกืื
Giving Thanksgiving to God Almighty alone,๐ฏโ
โืืื ืขืื ืืืืื ๐
Very well known that R’ Moshe said that it was absolutely permitted!
You are mistaken. R’ Moshe Ztza”l said it is absolutely assur.
ืืจื ืืืืื ืืงืืืฉ ืืืืืืจ ืจืณ ืืืืืืืจ ืืืืืขืจ ืืฆืืงืณืณื
Yehuda Lev is smarter than ืืจื ืืืืื ืืงืืืฉ ืืืืืืจ ืจืณ ืืืืืืืจ ืืืืืขืจ ืืฆืืงืณืณื
I find people like you that respond anonymously to be cowardly!
If You want me to respond substantively,than Identify yourself. Otherwise it’s an exercise in futility & I will not respond any further!