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THE
JEWISH THANKSGIVING
The world’s first Thanksgiving.
The world’s first pilgrims.
But, there were no Indians.
No, our English/American Pilgrim ancestors at Plymouth
Rock were not the first. They get full credit on
the last Thursday of every November for having brought
to the shores of the USA an ancient harvest festival,
which was first celebrated by the Israelites after they
completed their forty year desert track.
The Bible bade the grateful settlers of ancient Israel
bring the first wheat and barley of their fall harvest
to the Temple in Jerusalem as a sacrifice. Only
after they had offered up their sacrifices in gratitude
for the bounty of the field were they permitted to partake
of the yield for themselves and their household. from
all over the land of ancient Israel, making a pilgrimage
to the holy site.
The Bible envisions the Jewish people engaged in a two-fold
celebration of in-gathering: one, a celebration of the
physical harvest, the other an in-gathering of the people.
Pilgrimage to Jerusalem on the harvest holiday was an
important component of the offering of sacrifices of Thanksgiving.
Today, with the Temple gone and sacrificial practices
abandoned, a great many Jews the world over still journey
to Jerusalem for the holiday of Sukkot. The hotels of
the city are filled to capacity … most offering colorful
sukkahs attached to their dining rooms to enable their
clientele to fulfill the Biblical commandment to eat in
the airy booths.
If you have not visited the ancient holy city of Jerusalem,
think about doing so …next year. But, be sure to
book your hotel early, because the in-gathering starts
by mid summer. Hikes around the golden hills will fill
you with a sense of awe. You will also appreciate why
the Bible described these journeys as an "ascent
to Jerusalem."
The Pilgrims of New Salem, Massachusetts, were so moved
by the stories of the ancient Israelites that they thought
of America as their Zion and New Salem as their Jerusalem.
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