Rav Avigdor Miller Zt”l on Celebrating Thanksgiving

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. Thatโ€™s what the original purpose was. And therefore itโ€™s avoda zara and Jews are forbidden to participate in such a thing. If you eat turkey especially for Thanksgiving, youโ€™re an oveid avoda zara. Thatโ€™s my opinion.

Now, some people are weak in this matter; but I think itโ€™s real avoda zara; I think itโ€™s ื™ื”ืจื’ ื•ืืœ ื™ืขื‘ื•ืจ. I think a Jew shouldnโ€™t eat turkey on Thanksgiving at all! He should make a sacrifice not to eat turkey. Because itโ€™s a Christian observance you understand. Itโ€™s not a legal holiday alone. Itโ€™s only recently that it became a โ€˜legal holiday.โ€™ But it used to be a Christian holiday and thatโ€™s what it is, all the way down till today.

So what happens? In a Beit Hakisei called Shaโ€™arei Torah, on Albemarle Road โ€” thereโ€™s a toilet there called Shaโ€™arei 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. Thatโ€™s what happens when Jews start going after the idolatry of the gentiles.

Q:
But isnโ€™t that only if eating turkey has religious symbolism?

A:
No, it doesnโ€™t have to have religious symbolism to be a problem. As long as itโ€™s connected with the holiday and the holiday has religious symbolism, thatโ€™s enough to make it forbidden. Thereโ€™s a gemara that says itโ€™s 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, itโ€™s forbidden.

However, like I told you earlier thereโ€™s somebody who permits it, and even though I say itโ€™s all wrong, Iโ€™m 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 youโ€™re not in my synagogue, so Iโ€™ll let you go.

TAPE # R-30 (November 1972)

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5 COMMENTS

  1. Just had my turkey. ๐Ÿ˜‹๐Ÿ‘Œ
    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 ืฉื•ืžืจ ืฉื‘ืช!)

    ๐Ÿฆƒ -ื”ื•ื“ื•
    ‘ืœื”
    ื›ื™
    ื˜ื•ื‘
    ื›ื™
    ืœืขื•ืœื
    ! ื—ืกื“ื•
    Giving Thanksgiving to God Almighty alone,๐Ÿ’ฏโ•
    โ—ืื™ื• ืขื•ื“ ืžืœื‘ื“ื• ๐Ÿ‘
    Very well known that R’ Moshe said that it was absolutely permitted!

    • ื”ืจื‘ ื”ื’ืื•ืŸ ื”ืงื“ื•ืฉ ื•ื”ื˜ื”ื•ืจ ืจืณ ืื‘ื™ื’ื“ื•ืจ ืžื™ืœืœืขืจ ื–ืฆื•ืงืณืณืœ

  2. Yehuda Lev is smarter than ื”ืจื‘ ื”ื’ืื•ืŸ ื”ืงื“ื•ืฉ ื•ื”ื˜ื”ื•ืจ ืจืณ ืื‘ื™ื’ื“ื•ืจ ืžื™ืœืœืขืจ ื–ืฆื•ืงืณืณืœ

    • 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!

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