Carrying Thanksgiving’s Gratitude into Shabbat’s Peace

Shabbat Shalom!

I hope your Thanksgiving was filled with warmth, gratitude, and the familiar comfort of gathering around a table with loved ones. There is something uniquely joyful about being a Jewish American at this moment on the calendar: one great meal on Thursday, and then, as if our tradition planned it, another sacred meal (often times with the “sacred leftovers”) on Friday night to welcome Shabbat.

What makes this weekend even more special is how deeply the origins of Thanksgiving echo the rhythms of Jewish tradition. Many historians note that the Pilgrims, steeped in the “Hebrew Bible,” looked to Sukkot, our festival of gratitude and harvest, as a model for their own celebration. They saw themselves in the story of the Israelites, wandering toward a promised future, sustained by faith and community. The very idea of a harvest feast of thanks is something Jews had been observing for millennia.

The spirit of this season is captured beautifully in Psalms:

“Give thanks to God, for God is good; God’s kindness endures forever.” (Psalm 136)

Our ancestors recited these words at their own harvest festivals. It is an unbroken chain of gratitude that stretches from ancient Israel to Plymouth to every Jewish home in St. Louis.

And then, as Shabbat arrives, we encounter another layer of meaning. The Talmud teaches, “A person’s table is like the altar.” The meals we share, whether meticulously prepared or creatively composed from leftovers, become sacred spaces where blessing, rest, and connection meet. This weekend invites us to linger at that altar a little longer, carrying Thanksgiving’s gratitude into Shabbat’s peace.

This season, rich with history, tradition, and meaning, reminds us how blessed we are to live at the intersection of Jewish and American stories. At the Jewish Federation of St. Louis, we are profoundly grateful for the strength of this community, for your generosity, and for the shared work of building a vibrant Jewish future.

My blessing for you on this thankful Shabbat:

May your table be full and your heart even fuller.
May the peace of Shabbat soften the rush of the season.
And as we move toward Hanukkah, may each small flame remind you that even in uncertain times, light endures and grows when we kindle it together.

Shabbat Shalom, and warmest wishes for a season of gratitude, light, and renewal.