November 25, 2010, - 3:08 pm
Leading Rabbi Praises Thanksgiving, US Founding Fathers (Remember Mumbai Massacre)
Two years ago, on Thanksgiving, followers of the Chabad Lubavitch movement in Mumbai, India were murdered in cold blood by Islamic terrorists. They were murdered because they were Jews. I pause on this Thanksgiving day to remember them. And in their honor I post excerpts of a video I’ve posted before from a 1986 speech by their late leader, the Lubavitcher Rebbe a/k/a Rabbi Menachem Schneerson, Zichrono LiVrachah [of Blessed Memory] about Thanksgiving and the G-d-fearing faith of America’s Founding Fathers. The Rabbi was a special and very revered man in Judaism. Every Thanksgiving, he and his followers hosted Thanksgiving dinners in major American cities for the poor and the sick. Almost all of those hosted at these dinners, which continue to date, are not Jews, but gentiles who enjoy a kosher Thanksgiving meal, with turkey and all the fixings. Judaism is not a proselytizing religion, and the purpose of these meals is solely to help those less fortunate, something the Chabad Lubavitch movement does every day.
The Late Lubavitcher Rebbe, Menachem M. Schneerson, of Blessed Memory, Praised Thanksgiving
The Lubavitch Chassidic movement in Judaism is a leading force in American Jewry and Judaism around the world. After most other American Jews intermarry out of the faith, Chabad Lubavitch adherents will comprise the majority of those who remain (along with other Orthodox Jews who are not Chassidic Jews). As I’ve noted previously today, in contrast to the Mumbai Islamic terrorists and their fellow co-religionists in places like Dearbornistan (where today is not Thanksgiving, but just another day to hate America from within), we American Jews love Thanksgiving. Rabbi Schneerson loved Thanksgiving and celebrated it with his movement. I repeat the key part of it here:
The foundation of this nation was laid by the Founding Fathers, who after coming to this country proclaimed a holiday of Thanksgiving to G-d, Creator and Director of the world, for having saved them and bringing them to a secure land where they could live free of oppression and decrees–to live as they see fit, beginning from practicing their faith in G-d as Creator and Director of the world, in their own times, in their own lives, and their own rescues. They even established it as a law that every year on that day, it must be remembered again, to thank G-d from the depths of our hearts, for having shown them His kindness openly.
It has been established even for non-believers–who in their hearts believe as well, but for whatever reason, boast that they do not believe, or they believe that G-d is far away, somewhere in the Seventh Heaven. But even they know that when a matter affects them seriously, they pray to the Superbeing, to G-d, for help. And certainly, they participate in the Thanksgiving celebration for the founding of this nation by the first gentiles who arrived here.
. . . [A]lthough there were Jews among them, the majority, who established Thanksgiving, were non-Jews. This faith has been celebrated from generation to generation, including our own generation. . . .
[T]he Founders began their life in this country by thanking G-d. . . . This is the foundation of this country, to save the righteous from the hands of evil.
(You can watch the whole video here. It is in Yiddish with English subtitles.)
AMEN. Happy Thanksgiving to all of my fellow Americans.
Tags: Chabad, faith, Founding Fathers, Jewish, Jews, Judaism, Lubavitch, Lubavitcher Rebbe, Menachem M. Schneerson, Menachem Schneerson, Mumbai Massacre, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, Rabbi Menachem Schneerson, Thanksgiving
And a Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. We’re having dinner and our house, so I won’t be at the fast food restaurant when Angelina Jolie drvies through, refusing to celebrate Thanksgiving because of her stupid, stupid logic.
gmartinz on November 25, 2010 at 3:51 pm