Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to focus on sharing gratitude (hoda’ah), or thanks for what we have (hakarat hatov). It’s also the perfect opportunity to teach these values to your children. It’s also an easy time to connect Jewish values with this American holiday. Below are three ways we teach our children about Jewish gratitude at Thanksgiving.
1. Teach Your Children a Jewish Blessing
There are many Jewish blessings and prayers for gratitude. Incorporating one, or more of these blessings into your Thanksgiving holiday (or anytime of the year) is a wonderful way for your children to participate in saying thank you for all the amazing things G-d has given us.
Modeh Ani
Modeh Ani is one of our favorite prayers of thanksgiving. Traditionally, you recite this prayer upon waking, thanking G-d for the gift of waking up, for being alive. Definitely the #1 thing for which to be grateful! We love singing this prayer during morning services at religious school and it’s also a favorite song around our house.
Make sure to share the English translation so your children can understand what they are thanking G-d for. This prayer is a short, but sweet and meaningful blessing. Your children can easily memorize and incorporate it into their daily routine. We’ve found it’s especially easy to do when it’s set to a song. This version is the closest I’ve found to our Sunday School song. I love hearing my children sing it as they go about their day. Thank you G-d for happy, singing children each day that we awake!
Modeh ani lifanecha, melech chai vikayam, she-he-chezarta bi nishmati be-chemla – raba emunatecha!
I thank You, living and eternal King, Who has returned my soul into me with compassion – great is Your faithfulness!
Thanks to Chabad.org for the transliteration and translation!
2. Read Jewish Books about Gratitude
I find that well-written books about Jewish values are often the best introduction to these values. PJ Library has a list of books about gratitude, organized by age level. We have many of these wonderful books at home and love to cuddle up on the couch and learn about saying thank you through their sweet words and lovely pictures. Our favorite is Good Night, Laila Tov by Laurel Snyder. It’s a sweet book about family, togetherness, and giving thanks to G-d for all the bounties of the world.
3. Discuss the Similarity of the Jewish Holiday of Sukkot to Thanksgiving
Like Thanksgiving, the Jewish holiday of Sukkot celebrates gratitude for the harvest. Some people also believe that Thanksgiving might actually have its roots of origin in the holiday of Sukkot. Sukkot is the “Season of Rejoicing,” and gives thanks to G-d for the harvest food. The commandment to build (and live in) a sukkah draws attention to the need to be grateful for the shelter we have. Thanksgiving also often focuses on food and eating, as well as giving thanks for this food. Most people celebrate Thanksgiving by spending time with family, much as many families celebrate dwelling in their booth together during Sukkot.
Sukkot is one of my family’s favorite holidays because it focuses on spending time with family, enjoying being outdoors, telling stories about our ancestors, and eating delicious foods. Describing the similarities between Sukkot and Thanksgiving can help your children view Thanksgiving as a harvest celebration and a way of thanking G-d for all the food that we eat. We prefer to focus on this perspective of Thanksgiving rather than on the turkeys (and definitely not the Pilgrim story that we grew up learning about!).
Try these three ways of teaching your children about Jewish gratitude during Thanksgiving and add a little extra thanks to your holiday, and to every day.
*Bonus: Check out this awesome Shaboom! episode on Hakarat Hatov from BimBam. We love how BimBam teaches so many wonderful Jewish values through their Shaboom episodes.
Do you have ways you incorporate the Jewish value of gratitude into the Thanksgiving holiday? Share them with us!
