AMERICA'S JUDEO CHRISTIAN HERITAGE
THANKSGIVING, THE PURITANS, AND PRAYER
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I'm appalled at the way Americans have forgotten the meaning of Thanksgiving.
Have you checked out what your children are learning about this holiday in both government and too many private schools? The Pilgrims had a rough time when they first landed on Plymouth Rock. Finally, the friendly native Americans taught the European plunderers how to fish and plant corn. The harvest feast held by William Bradford and the gang was a way for the Pilgrims to thank the Indians for saving their lives. Thus, Thanksgiving.
This may be a slight oversimplification of what your children are learning about this important American holiday this week -- but not by much.
Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays -- a time for family, a time for reflection, a time for feast and a time for praising God for all he has bestowed upon us.
Though it's a uniquely American tradition, the roots of Thanksgiving go back to ancient Israel. In a real sense, the Jews invented Thanksgiving. I count 28 references to the word thanksgiving in the King James Bible -- all but six in the Old Testament. For the ancient children of Israel, thanksgiving was a time of feasting and fasting, of praising God, of singing songs. It was a rich celebration -- and still is for observant Jews today.
Bradford himself studied the Hebrew scriptures. The Pilgrims took them very seriously. The idea of giving thanks to God with a feast was inspired by that knowledge of the Bible. In a very real way, the Pilgrims saw themselves, too, as chosen people of God being led to a Promised Land.
At the table, they acknowledged "God's good providence" and "blessed the God of Heaven who brought us over the furious ocean." For "what could sustain us but the Spirit of God and His grace?" asked Bradford. He then quoted Moses, "Our fathers cried unto Him and He heard their voice and looked on their adversity" (Deuteronomy 26:7).
In addition to proclaiming a day of thanksgiving, like the ancient Hebrews did before them, Bradford and his flock also praised God's loving kindness, the famous refrain of Psalms 106 and 107 and Jewish liturgy ("Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, for His kindness endures forever").
The "thanksgiving" idea took different forms in colonial America. It wasn't until George Washington, the republic's first president, proclaimed Nov. 26, 1789, as a day for thanking God for bringing America through its trials, that an official holiday was marked.
Washington, too, was a student of the Hebrew scriptures. He believed with all his heart that America would be blessed only if it acknowledged the source of all blessings.
Later, in 1863, with the nation torn asunder by the War Between the States, Lincoln re-instituted the tradition for two years. Again, in 1941, with a global war threatening, Congress established the fourth Thursday of November as the day for Americans to thank God.
In times of crisis, it's easy to think about God and eternity. When the living is easy, man is much more likely to think pridefully upon his own achievements.
Of course, crisis or not, one day a year is never enough to thank God for all the blessings in our lives. But even that modest proclamation seems to have been forgotten -- or intentionally sanitized from all our secular cultural institutions.
Today the whole notion of Thanksgiving has been dumbed down to little more than multicultural gibberish. It's no longer a day to thank God; it's a day to thank indigenous peoples for their contributions to humanity. Ironically, Thanksgiving is truly a multicultural tradition in the best sense of the term -- having been inspired by the ancient Hebrew pilgrims of the Old World and born anew by Christian people seeking a promised land of religious liberty of their own.
This week, America is divided once again. The precious institutions of liberty handed down by our forefathers have been tested beyond the breaking point. People holding and seeking the highest offices in the land have demonstrated they are corrupt to the core -- driven only by their own lustful ambitions for power and oblivious to constitutional restraints and the rule of law. Some Americans, too, are literally at the breaking point -- ready to give up on the dream of liberty and justice and one nation under God.
Maybe this would be the right time to reflect deeply on the true meaning of Thanksgiving -- this ancient, tried-and-tested rite.
After all, how can it ever be a bad time to pray?
THE ROOTS OF THANKSGIVING
From the website:
http://www.fivedoves.com/letters/nov98/jim1124a.htm
America's first Thanksgiving was very likely
inspired by the Jewish Festival of Sukkot, also known as the
Festival of Booths or Tabernacles.
The Puritans who founded Pilgrim America were "deeply rooted
in the Hebraic tradition," (Marvin R. Wilson , "Our
Father Abraham"). When they sailed to America, the Puritans
likened their journey to the "promised land" to the
Exodus of the Jews out of Egypt.
The Puritans, most of whom had Hebrew names, regarded themselves
as "the spiritual heirs of the Old Testament," (Max
Dimont, "Jews, God and History"). "In fact, there
was even a proposal that Hebrew be made the official language of
the Colonies, and John Cotton wanted to adopt the Mosiac Code as
the basis for the laws of Massachusetts," (Dimont).
The Pilgrims rejoiced about their survival in the new world and
declared a time of thanksgiving in order to praise God "for
his
goodness and favour," (The First Thanksgiving Proclamation
-- June 20, 1676).
Likewise, the festival of Sukkot is a time for rejoicing to
commemorate the redemption of Israel from Egypt as well as
remember God's providence during the many years of wandering
through the desert. (Lev. 23; Deut. 16;14) This festival also is
an agricultural holiday which celebrates the harvest in the Land
of Israel, (Rabbi Joseph Telushkin, "Jewish Literacy")
"The American pilgrim fathers were, in all likelihood,
inspired by the biblical account of Sukkot to pattern the holiday
of Thanksgiving after it," (Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, "How
Firm a Foundation - A Gift of Jewish Wistom for Christians and
Jews," pg. 93)
PURITANS BRING THE WORD OF G-D TO THE
NEW WORLD
From the website:
http://aish.com/issues/jewishpeople/Impact_of_the_Bible_3_In_God_We_Tr
ust.asp
The heavily Bible-influenced Puritans bring the Word to the New
World.
Now that we have seen the powerful religious, moral and political
influence that the Bible had on Europe, it's time to travel
across the Atlantic to America for the fascinating conclusion to
our story.
Just as the United States occupies a singular position in history
as the only country founded as a democracy, it also has a unique
status as the country most-influenced by the Bible in history.
Many of the earliest colonists who settled on the north-east
coast of America in early 17th century were Protestant refugees
escaping religious persecutions in Europe. The first were the so-called
"Pilgrims" -- Protestant-British settlers who founded
the colony on Plymouth Rock in New England. They were followed by
many thousands who arrived in the New World in subsequent years.
Well into the 18th century, America continued to be not only the
land of opportunity for many people seeking a better life, but
also the land of religious tolerance.
The majority of the earliest settlers were Puritans from England.
Like their cousins back home, these American Puritans strongly
identified with both the historical traditions and customs of the
ancient Hebrews of the Old Testament. They viewed their
emigration from England as a virtual re-enactment of the Jewish
exodus from Egypt: England was Egypt, the king was Pharaoh, the
Atlantic Ocean their Red Sea, America was the Land of Israel, and
the Indians were the ancient Canaanites.
They were the new Israelites, entering into a new covenant with
God in a new Promised Land. (1)
Most of the early legislation of the colonies of New England was
determined by Scripture.
These settlers found themselves in a New World which had no
existing laws or government. Their first task, therefore, was to
create a legal framework for their communities and the first
place they looked for guidance was the Hebrew Bible. Thus most of
the early legislation of the colonies of New England was
determined by Scripture. The most extreme example was the
Connecticut Code of 1650 which created a form of fundamentalist
government based almost entirely on Mosaic law using
numerous citations from the Bible. The same held true for the
code of New Haven and many other colonies. (2)
At the first assembly of New Haven in 1639, John Davenport
clearly declared the primacy of the Bible as the legal and moral
foundation of the colony:
"Scriptures do hold forth a perfect rule for the direction
and government of all men in all duties which they are to perform
to God and men as well as in the government of families and
commonwealth as in matters of the church ... the Word of God
shall be the only rule to be attended unto in organizing the
affairs of government in this plantation." (3)
Puritan obsession with the Bible led them to try and incorporate
many aspects of the Jewish commandments into their lifestyle
based on their literal interpretation of Hebraic laws (which did
not always agree with the Jewish interpretation nor with Jewish
practice). One of the most significant was the concept of the
Sabbath as a day of rest and meditation. Puritan Sabbath
observance began at sundown and no work of any kind, even
household chores, was allowed for the next 24-hours.
Sabbath observance was strictly monitored by local officials.
Thanksgiving which has evolved into a national day of feasting
and celebration was initially conceived by the Pilgrims, in 1621,
as day similar to the Jewish Day of Atonement -- Yom Kippur, a
day of fasting, introspection and prayer.
This Puritan focus on the Bible and individual responsibility had
an even more significant impact on literacy in the American
colonies than in England. All towns in New England with a minimum
of 50 households were required by law to establish schools and
appoint teachers. Universities were established and many printing
presses were imported.
SOURCES
1) Sivan, Gabriel, The Bible and Civilization, Jerusalem: Keter
Publishing House, 1973, p. 236.
2) Katsh, Abraham I., The Biblical Heritage of American
Democracy, New York: Ktav Publishing House, Inc., 1977, Chapter 3
& 5.
3) Katsh, p. 97.
Rabbi Ken Spiro is originally from New Rochelle, NY. He graduated
from Vasser College with a BA in Russian Language and Literature
and did graduate studies at the Pushkin Institute in Moscow. He
has Rabbinical ordination from Yeshiva Aish HaTorah in Jerusalem
and a Masters Degree in History from The Vermont College of
Norwich University. He lives in
Jerusalem with his wife and five children where he works as a
senior lecturer and researcher on Aish HaTorah outreach programs.
THE PURITANS
From
the website:
http://biblicalholidays.com/Excerpts/What%20happened.htm
When the Puritans came to America they were deeply immersed in
their Hebrew heritage. Marvin Wilson explains in his book, Our
Father Abraham (pp. 127-128):
The Reformers put great stress on sola scriptura (Scripture as
the soul and final authority of the Christian). The consequent de-emphasis
on tradition brought with it a return to the biblical roots.
Accordingly, during the two centuries following the Reformation,
several groups recognized the importance of once again
emphasizing the Hebraic heritage of the Church. Among these
people were the Puritans who founded Pilgrim America.
The Puritans came to America deeply rooted in the Hebraic
tradition. Most bore Hebrew names. The Pilgrim fathers considered
themselves as the children of Israel fleeing "Egypt" (England),
crossing the "Red Sea" (the Atlantic Ocean), and
emerging from this "Exodus" to their own "promised
land" (New England). The Pilgrims thought of themselves as
all the children of Abraham and thus under the covenant of
Abraham (Feingold n.d., 46).
Thus, the seeds of religious liberty for the American Church did
not come from New England leaders like Roger Williams and Anne
Hutchinson as noble as they and others were. Rather, it came from
the Hebrews themselves, whose sacred Writings inspired the
Puritans.
The Jewish New Testament Commentary says, "The Puritans, who
took the Old Testament more seriously than most Christians,
modeled the American holiday of Thanksgiving after Sukkoth"
(Stern 1992).
The Reformers put great stress on sola scriptura (Scripture as
the soul and final authority of the Christian). The consequent de-emphasis
on tradition brought with it a return to the biblical roots.
Accordingly, during the two centuries following the Reformation,
several groups recognized the importance of once again
emphasizing the Hebraic heritage of the Church. Among these
people were the Puritans who founded Pilgrim America.
The Puritans wanted to abolish pagan religious ceremonies that
had crept into the Roman Catholic church from Babylonianism. To
rid the church of all pagan superstitions, the Puritans did away
with all the calendar days. Christmas was outlawed in England in
1644 by an act of Parliament, for it was a lingering pagan
element of the papal calendar, and they considered it disobedient
to God's Word (Deut. 12:30, 31; 1 John 5:18-21; 2 Cor. 6-14-7:1).By
1659, Massachusetts had passed a law fining anybody who
celebrated Christmas. Under the influence of puritanical thought,
America suppressed the celebration of Christmas well into the
nineteenth century.