November 2004 Varieties Of Thanksgiving By Rabbi Alvin Kass No holiday on the Jewish American religious calendar has become so universally accepted and observed as Thanksgiving Day. It is surely the only occasion which all the major faiths have incorporated as part of their religious schedule. Why? It is because nothing is more basic to religious faith than gratitude. Whether we are Jews, Catholics, Protestants, Moslems, Greek Orthodox or Buddhists, we all know how important it is to express thanks for what we have. The cardinal sin is to believe that we have achieved everything on our own. All of us owe many debts of gratitude to members of our family, friends, acquaintances and even strangers who have assisted us on our perilous journey through life. Most of all, the very gift of life, without which everything else is impossible, comes from God and is sustained only by His grace. Even those who have suffered adversity have reason to give thanks. No life is free from misfortune and on balance, God must be adjudged good and compassionate. Moreover, the courage and strength God gives us to face our trials and tribulations is not the least of our reasons for giving thanks. There are many different degrees of showing one's gratitude. Some are so full of appreciation for the benefits they receive that they can't perform enough acts of kindness and generosity in order to show their thanks. Others, however, feel no obligation to say thanks or very begrudgingly acknowledge any reciprocal obligations. The variation in the depth of human gratitude goes back, according to the Biblical narrative, to the beginning of history. Cain and Abel, the first natural born men, both felt moved to express their thanks to God for all that they possessed by bringing an offering to the Lord. Abel, the shepherd, anxious to demonstrate the authenticity of his appreciation, brought an offering from the choicest and most select animals in the flocks. Cain, the farmer, however, did not want to give away his best produce; hence, he sacrificed mediocre fruits and vegetables to God. We know from Scriptures that God accepted Abel's offering, which sprang from the depths of his soul, but rejected Cain's because it constituted a perfunctory gesture tainted by selfishness. On this Thanksgiving Day, as on every other occasion for thanksgiving from the beginning of time, we will find Cains and Abels in our midst. Some people are so appreciative of God's blessings that their every act constitutes an attempt to say thank you. These are the blessed creatures who look for the opportunity to come to the synagogue as often as possible to express verbally the sentiments of their hearts. These are the men and women who regularly study the wisdom of God's revelation both formally and informally, who perennially seek the chance to be kind and helpful to others, and who give generously of their means, often without being asked, to sustain the basic institutions of our way of life. Then there are the Cains who can't be bothered by the discipline imposed by the Judaic way of life, who feel that everything they have is coming to them, who avoid their community obligations, and who give either minimally or nothing at all to keep Jewish life alive. As the Bible tells us, Abels are often the victims of Cains. But it is only because of the Abels that genuine social progress is possible and human civilization is able to survive. I am thankful for the privilege of wishing you all a very happy Thanksgiving Day.