Unpacking the Iggerot: Celebrating Thanksgiving

Read more about “Unpacking the Iggerot” and see the archive of all past columns.

Thanksgiving and General Culture / Iggerot Moshe, E.H., vol. 2, #13

Summarizing the Iggerot
R. Moshe Feinstein’s initial responsum about Thanksgiving (1963) is not actually about Thanksgiving. The holiday is addressed as an ancillary topic to a discussion of several other questions pertaining to matters such as mixed dancing and swimming on Shabbat. In addition, unlike the responsa we will summarize in the next section, he did not address observing Thanksgiving itself, but whether one may schedule a Jewish event that coincides with a non-Jewish holiday. R. Feinstein succinctly replies:

If it is scheduled for then with intention to acknowledge the gentile holiday, it is categorically forbidden. And if it is scheduled for then without intention [to observe the gentile holiday] then it is forbidden due to marit ayin (the appearance of impropriety).

However, a religiously mandated meal (seudat mitzva), such as a brit or pidyon ha-ben, should still be held even when they occur on the same date as the gentile holidays. This is because marit ayin would not be a sufficient basis to forbid a religiously mandated meal.

In contrast, it is preferable to postpone a meal celebrating a bar mitzva to another day, and likewise a wedding should ideally be scheduled for a different date [that does not overlap with a gentile holiday]. Regarding their New Year’s Day and Thanksgiving, there is no formal halakhic prohibition. But those who are very scrupulous (ba’alei nefesh) should be stringent.

Connecting the Iggerot
Jumping ahead almost two decades later (to 1981), R. Feinstein finally addressed the permissibility of observing Thanksgiving in three responsa, all within the same year. In Iggerot Moshe (O.H., vol. 5, #20:6), he writes to his disciple, R. Ephraim Greenblatt:

To hold a meal on Thanksgiving should certainly be prohibited [even] from a halakhic standpoint. And this is not due to it appearing like one is celebrating a pagan holiday, for [Thanksgiving] was not concocted by the priests, but they (i.e., the general populace) decided on their own to hold a celebration on this particular day….

Rather, the reason it is forbidden to hold a celebration to honor this day is due to the proscription of “and you shall not follow in their customs” (Lev. 18:3), even though it is not a custom related to idolatry, but just emptiness and plain absurdity (hevel u-shut).

While R. Feinstein, in this responsum, opposes observing Thanksgiving, he also castigates those who have classified a Thanksgiving meal as an act of idolatry, a sin that requires sacrificing one’s life rather than transgressing. This is a step too far for R. Feinstein, who remarks that those who make such an assertion neither understand Thanksgiving nor the halakhic parameters of the surrendering and preservation of life. While he concedes that Thanksgiving should be forbidden, he expresses some ambivalence at the end by writing: “And also the nature of this transgression [of observing Thanksgiving] is not clear and requires further analysis.” Indeed, he provides further analysis shortly thereafter.

In an article originally written for the journal Am ha-Torah (Mahadura #2, Hoveret #13, p. 7), and subsequently published in Iggerot Moshe (Y.D., vol. 4, #11:1), he provides a more nuanced framework for understanding the nature of his objection to Jews holding Thanksgiving meals. The Talmud (Kiddushin 66a) relates that a special feast to celebrate and express thanksgiving was held upon King Yanai’s military victory. While this is a tempting precursor to Thanksgiving (with a capital “T”), the two are not perfectly analogous. There is a reasonable basis to distinguish between an obligatory meal versus a discretionary meal. Moreover, it is one matter to hold an ad hoc celebration subsequent to a sudden salvation, while it is quite another matter to establish an annual holiday in perpetuity. The latter would be in violation of bal tosif, which Ramban (Deut. 4:2) explains forbids the formalization of new holidays that are not mandated by halakha.

Notice how this time, instead of invoking the verse “and you shall not follow in their customs” he has identified a different basis to forbid observing Thanksgiving based on bal tosif. R. Feinstein seems to be convinced that something about observing Thanksgiving is awry, but he is still trying to put his finger on it. At the very end, he expresses that sentiment by writing “and even though we must consider what the precise identity of this transgression may be, nonetheless, it is certainly forbidden.”

The final, and lengthiest, responsum on the matter (Y.D., vol. 4, #12) is also the most intellectually innovative. Rema (Y.D., 178:1) writes:

These restrictions also apply to things that they [non-Jews] are accustomed to doing because of a custom or rule that does not have any [underlying] reason, out of concern for the “ways of the Amorites,” and that it is tainted by idol worship inherited from their ancestors. But things that they are accustomed to doing for a useful purpose—such as their custom for expert doctors to wear particular clothing so that the doctors will be recognized as specialists—one is permitted to wear [such clothing] (citing Maharik, Shoresh 88).

The standard interpretation of what Rema means when he writes “out of concern for the ‘ways of the Amorites’” is that we suspect that any custom without an apparent rationale likely emerged from pagan roots. However, R. Feinstein suggests a novel way to render this phrase: Rema is not concerned for potential idolatrous roots, rather it is the institutionalization of rituals and rites without reasonable basis that is, by definition, a pagan act.

He proceeds to extrapolate this principle to Thanksgiving arguing that the circumstances of the Pilgrims do not merit an annual celebration for all generations. If they did not have turkey, they would have found something else to sustain them. And even if they had all perished, presumably another English expedition would have arrived later, bearing better provisions. In the long run, the United States of America would be founded and not differ greatly from what we experience today.

He concludes by pointing out that countless celebrations and tragedies happen in the world on a daily basis, and it is self-evident that we do not mark each and every one of them, certainly not as a formal holiday. And that is, he argues, precisely why observing Thanksgiving constitutes a problem. Just like the pagans, Americans have introduced a ritual without sufficient basis. This is consonant with what R. Feinstein wrote in an earlier responsum when he described the holiday as hevel u-shtut.

After all is said and done, he seems to stop short of issuing an unequivocal opposition to celebrating Thanksgiving. While he concludes that it is preferable not to celebrate it, as long as it is not observed in a religiously obligatory fashion, it would be permissible. This is also how his son-in-law, R. Dr. Moshe D. Tendler understood his conclusion, based on an interview I conducted with him five years ago (available here).

Reception of the Iggerot
It is not surprising when traditional rabbinic thinkers dismiss a non-Jewish holiday out of hand (see for example: R. Yitzhak Hutner, Pahad Yitzhak: Iggerot u-Ktavim (p. 109), and R. Moshe Shternbuch, Teshuvot ve-Hanhagot (vol. 2, #271). And, while in the minority, we can find those who were comfortable with celebrating Thanksgiving (R. Joseph B. Soloveitchik, as reported in Nefesh HaRav, p. 231).

While the responsa in Iggerot Moshe focus primarily on Thanksgiving, it is worth considering how R. Feinstein’s analysis could be extrapolated to other holidays on the American calendar. R. Michael J. Broyde, in his essay on the topic “Thanksgiving: A Secular or Religious Holiday?” (Journal of Halacha and Contemporary Society 30 [1995], p. 51, fn. 27) surmises that:

Rabbi Feinstein would feel it not problematic to note Thanksgiving—like Labor Day, Independence Day, and Memorial Day are noted on synagogue calendars as a secular “holiday.” Indeed, Thanksgiving Day (along with Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Election Day, Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day) are all noted in the Ezras Torah calendar published under Rabbis Feinstein’s (and Henkin’s) auspices. (New Year’s Day and Christmas Day are not.) So too, this author suspects that Rabbi Feinstein would permit teaching about Thanksgiving to school children as part of their general studies curriculum, just as he would permit Columbus to be discussed.

Reflecting on the Iggerot

R. Feinstein’s understanding of the proscription of “and you shall not follow in their customs” applies to times on the annual and even weekly calendar beyond the narrow scope of Thanksgiving. In Iggerot Moshe (Y.D., vol. 3, #84), he insists that yeshiva day schools should remain open on Sunday, since declaring a day off would squander countless hours that would otherwise be spent on Torah study. Notably, for our purposes, he adds that giving off on Sunday would appear to be a recognition of Sunday as a holy day for Christian society. Similarly, he writes that giving vacation between the 26th of December through New Year’s would categorically run afoul of recognizing the Christian holidays even if that is not their intent (Y.D., vol. 3, #85).

Even during recreation time that did not run afoul of hukkat akum, he still insisted that the way a Jew plays ball is supposed to be different than how others play ball. It should be dignified, without screaming or cursing—not to follow in “their ways,” but in the upright path of God (Kol HaTorah, vol. 54, Nisan 5763, p. 66).

One of the reasons that the discussion in the Iggerot Moshe about Thanksgiving is so interesting is because one can feel the tug-of-war between the various considerations. And it is not just the nuance and development over the course of the several responsa that make it noteworthy, but the fact that this comes from the same R. Moshe Feinstein who was well known for his praise of America as “a country of kindness” and yet was not simply dispensing with the halakhic elements that needed to be addressed. Dr. Yisroel Ben-Porat, in his essay, “Rav Moshe Feinstein and the History of Thanksgiving” (Torah Musings), writes:

These four responsa collectively convey the impression of ambivalence toward Thanksgiving, with an instinctual stringency. Rav Moshe’s writings suggest that those who wish to celebrate Thanksgiving have legitimate halachic arguments upon which to rely, but his preference otherwise indicates meta-halachic concerns about maintaining boundaries between Judaism and American culture. In his famous essay “The Cult of Synthesis in American Jewish Culture,” Jonathan Sarna has described how American Jews have long sought to fuse their religious and civic identities by celebrating holidays such as Columbus Day, Thanksgiving, and the Fourth of July. Perhaps Rav Moshe regarded such cultural integration as undermining Judaism’s typically counter-cultural orientation, even if he himself had somewhat of a patriotic streak. Conflicting attitudes toward the acceptable amount of integration with Western society might explain why other halachic authorities have regarded Thanksgiving as wholly problematic, benign, or even praiseworthy.

It is worth considering that, especially in the current climate, that American Jews make every effort to demonstrate their gratitude and fealty to the United States. While Thanksgiving is generally a meal celebrated in the privacy of the home, and in the assembly of family, it is an opportunity to us to discuss how we may do so more publicly.

This past Veterans Day, I had the honor of offering a prayer at the City Hall of Allentown, PA. I opened by invoking R. Moshe Feinstein’s iconic characterization of the United States as a medinat ha-hesed, a country of loving-kindness. While my family celebrates Thanksgiving, I can understand if one is persuaded by the halakhic concerns. But even a stringent conclusion about how the last Thursday of November is marked does not absolve Jewish Americans from internalizing and actualize our patriotic duty as Americans.

Endnote: For a comprehensive treatment of Thanksgiving and halakha, see R. Michael J. Broyde’s Jewish Law and the American Thanksgiving Celebration: Secular or Religious Holiday? On the topic of how Judaism approaches pagan practices and knowledge, see Iggerot Moshe (Y.D., vol. 2, #53), in which R. Feinstein permits a school instructor to teach about Greek mythology as a part of the curriculum. He even takes it a step further, suggesting that there is even a benefit to doing so, so that it can be contrasted with Judaism, whereby the students will come to appreciate how superior their religion is to the idolatrous beliefs of the other nations. Interestingly, R. Yosef Tzvi Rimon referenced this responsum as his basis to permit those who wished to read the popular Percy Jackson fantasy series by Rick Riordan, whose books are all based on characters from the Greek, Roman, and Egyptian pantheons. (R. Rimon shared this responsum in a rabbinic WhatsApp group in August 2024. To my knowledge, it has not been published in a book, at the time of writing).

Moshe Kurtz is the rabbi of Cong. Sons of Israel in Allentown, PA, the author of Challenging Assumptions, and hosts the Shu”T First, Ask Questions Later podcast.