If our lives have been blessed, the way to say “thank
you” is with responsible conduct. Additionally, Thanksgiving gives us the
opportunity to display the goodness that can be found in each of us. All too
often we see only the dark side of people and neglect to remember the
nobleness of a single human being. We get lost in the hustle and bustle of
everyday living and never stop to smell the roses.
There is such a mess in the world. There is poverty on a scale unimagined.
There is disease and with all our expertise and previous accomplishments we
can’t seem to find enough vaccines to inoculate us from certain disasters.
There is war – an on-going conflict between good and evil that leaves us
wondering if politically correct is a substitute for awareness and
prevention. There are hunger and homelessness in a country that feeds the
world and provides shelter to millions in different areas of the globe, but
somehow we can’t find enough shelters or time to create those needed
shelters for our people right here in America. There are homeless veterans –
people we sent off to war to protect our lives and values – and yet when
they return, we seem to forget our obligations.
All of this sounds like a formula for despair. We listen and read and watch
these and other horrors and wonder whether there exist redemption and
salvation. But then we remember the blessings we have been given and realize
that “thank you” is not enough. We must be willing to conduct ourselves in
such a way as to not only develop cures but also to encourage each other to
act in accordance with our understanding of responsibility in lifting
someone from the depths of despondency to a brighter tomorrow.
That is Thanksgiving in the true sense of its intention: the feeling of
Grace – compassion.
God does not ask “Do you believe in me?” but “How have you dealt with those
around you?” To truly be thankful requires not only taking responsibility
for our actions and deeds, but also to treat each other responsibly. We
don’t expect to eliminate the wrongs that permeate our world, but we are not
excused from trying. That is what faith demands of us; that is what society
requires of us.
Thanksgiving is not only taking responsibility with good intentions. We need
to follow through in helping those in need. When we feast to the fullest,
try to leave a little on our plates to remind us that we MUST care for one
another, not just in words but also in deeds.
Thanks, and Giving – those are the two words that make up the reason for
this holiday. Say thanks not only for what we have been given but also for
the gift of giving. And in the words of Anne Frank: “How wonderful it is
that no one need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”
Perhaps we should also be reminded of what George Washington wrote in his
proclamation recommending the formation of this national holiday:
“A day of public Thanksgiving and prayer devoted to the service of that
great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that
was, that is, of that will be.
And also, that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and
supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to
pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all, whether in
public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties
properly; to render our National Government a blessing to all people by
constantly being a government of wise, just, and constitutional laws...”
Have a great and blessed holiday.
E
E Rabbi Irwin Wiener, d.d.
