Thanksgiving is everyone’s holiday. In every family there are traditions that bring everyone to the table. Set around special place settings are all the foods, aromas, flower arrangements, and goodies that family and friends expect. The satisfying meal arouses memories of times gone by, special people who were part of our family and circle of friends, and measures of gratitude that overflow with meaning and hopefulness.

A few days ago, we arrived at the airport on our way to spend the holiday with our family in Durham, North Carolina. I spoke with someone at the airport who was new to the country. After our brief conversation, I said, “Happy Thanksgiving.” His quizzical look made me aware that Thanksgiving wasn’t familiar to him. I wish that I had time to tell him more about the holiday and what it means to all of us, whether our families have been in America for generations or just arrived.

It’s about much more than turkey, of course. It’s also about the fabric of our nation, its unique individualism that contributes to our nation’s potential and promise, achievements and prosperity. It’s also about making our nation’s potential and promise available to all individuals so that they might benefit from our nation’s achievements and prosperity, too. Each year, Thanksgiving is a time for expressions of gratitude for what we have and what we can enjoy, together.

Here are ways to express thanks at your table:

Thanks for the strength of family who love us unconditionally.
Thanks for friends who are family whom we love so much.
Thanks for the small gestures between people that bring us closer together.
Thanks for our neighbors who care for us and the ways we care for them.
Thanks for the synagogue where joy and sorrow are met with kindness.
Thanks for the peace in my house where words and deeds matter every day.
Thanks for the hopes that live in our hearts.
Thanks for all our blessings that surround us.
Thanks for the privilege to give thanks for all we have been given.
Thanks for tomorrow that will come with ways to say thanks, again.

I hope you add to my list. Your list should reflect what’s in your heart. Despite the challenges we see in the world around us, there’s always room for gratitude for what we have, including the personal power to make a positive difference in the world. Above all, I’m very thankful for the privilege to share Thanksgiving with you and the obligation to do mitzvot every day for the well-being of all who are touched by our lives.

My hope is that the man I spoke with at the airport, and people like him, will come to know the meaning of Thanksgiving Day, and how it can be part of his family’s traditions in the future, too. We are one nation of many peoples, and it is our greatest strength. For that I’m very grateful, too.

From my family to yours, and on behalf of all the rabbis, cantor, and staff at Congregation Beth Israel, Happy Thanksgiving!

L’Shalom,