Thursday marks the national holiday of, “how much can we eat in one meal?” Actually, it’s Thanksgiving, but sometimes it seems like we are focused more on the food than we are on the giving thanks.

At our family meals, we try to take a few moments of saying what we are thankful for, but by the time we actually sit down to eat, we’ve been smelling the food all day and are ready to dig in barely with enough patience for a motzi. And, if we’re lucky, we actually keep everyone at the table longer than the usual five minutes it takes a child to inhale a turkey leg, mashed potatoes, and if it’s Yoni, a pile of broccoli. We find ourselves saying, “hey! We spent the whole day cooking this meal! The least you can do is sit and savor it for at least six minutes!”

And while we are focused on the food, the football, and the walk we are going to need after dinner, this year, I would like to share some ways that we might be able to bring a Jewish moment to this day of Thanksgiving.

Rabbi Phyllis Sommer created two wonderful Thanksgiving Seders (much shorter than the Passover Seder) that we can use in our homes. One is especially created for families with small children.

I invite you to print these out and share them before or during your meal. Maybe they will even inspire us to stay at the table for seven minutes.

May your table be filled not only with wonderful delicacies, but also with family and friends who truly bring sweetness and spice into our lives. And may we all be thankful for the gifts we experience each day.

Yom Hodu Tov! Happy Turkey Day!
Rabbi Heidi Cohen

DOWNLOAD RABBI PHYLLIS SOMMER'S THANKSGIVING SEDERS
Thanksgiving Seder for Families with Small Children
Thanksgiving Seder