Parshas Vayetzei

I was surprised to hear that some people gathered together to enjoy a Thanksgiving turkey either on Thursday night or Shabbos night as the Friedman family did, and neglected to give thanks. Therefore I would like to read to you the thanksgiving message that I composed.



“I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November (next,) to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks …



“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 protect and guide all sovereigns and nations … and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue … to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best. “



“The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God . . .

“No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People".



Now truthfully I must admit that I did not compose these mellifluous and eloquent words. The first two paragraphs were written by George Washington in 1777 on his way to Valley Forge when he called upon all citizens to dedicate Thursday Nov. 26th (the same date as in 2009) as a national day of thanksgiving. The last two paragraphs were penned by Abraham Lincoln when, in the middle of a great war he called for an annual day of thanksgiving in an attempt to unify and uplift a war torn nation. When viewed from a 2009 perspective it is amazing that a president could utter such words. Divine providence? National sin? An orthodox Rabbi sure but not a President.

Jewish settlement in America has paralleled the rise of this great country to prominence. This is no coincidence as we see in this week’s parsha. I bet you knew that this week's parsha explained it. This week's parsha always seems to explain everything. The parsha opens with Jacob fleeing home. The Midrash tells us that he is robbed by his great nephew Elifaz. This explains why he arrives at his uncle Lavan with no money. As the parsha plays out the poor immigrant marries raises a large family and experiences remarkable almost supernatural prosperity. This is the story of Jacob's children's exile also. We are well familiar with the pogroms and expulsions and certainly with the holocaust of the previous generation. However there was much prosperity also. Abnormal prosperity. When Jacob arrived Lavan didn't even have a son. His daughter was his shepard. How embarrassing. Now that Jacob has spent some years with Lavan we hear his sons discussing their father’s wealth. Why did Lavan experience such prosperity? Lavan tells Jacob "G-d has blessed me because of you" Why did the United States experience this prosperity so that it could provide safe haven to Jacobs children.

As we continue to read the parsha we see that Jacob cannot live with Lavan forever. The good times come to an end when Lavan turns on Jacob. I am not one to read the Torah and predict the future. It is a Torah fact however that we will return to Israel. How or when that will happen I hope soon but I don't know. In the mean time it is certainly our obligation to thank Hashem for creating this wonderful land with its most unusual dedication to liberty and religious freedom that every one in this room had been and continues to be a beneficiary of.

I want to conclude on a cautionary note. The United States of America was established on the foundation of the rights of the citizens to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. After many years those rights were granted to people of color and then later to both sexes. In more recent times these rights have been extended to people with all forms of moral persuasions and religions. Everyone is guaranteed the right to preach their beliefs. These principals cannot remain unlimited if the country is to service. When religions have homicidal intent and deviant groups undermine the health and well being of the citizenry they must be curtailed or the government will no longer be able to ensure the security of the citizens. In either event the options that lay ahead do not bode well for the Jewish people. If the government takes no action to restrict religious freedoms, to discriminate, to restrain the pursuit of happiness of some parties our lives will be imperiled. If the government takes steps to restrict religious freedoms our Jewish lifestyle may also be imperiled. It is a serious crossroad that will soon have to be navigated. May G-d protect us.