Hello, and happy belated Thanksgiving!

Although it is never too late to give thanks, my delayed blog is about last Thursday, the special day we set aside for giving thanks to God for the Christian principles the United States was founded on.

Sadly, we’ve gone through a prolonged period of those who have been ruthlessly attacking, revising, deleting, and in some cases downright lying about our country’s history! Thank God, He is intervening for us again and we see many who are opening their eyes and discovering the truth. And, most importantly, the truth of the Gospel!

Instead of giving a traditional lesson here on our nation’s history, I would like to share something valuable I learned from Greg, a Messianic Jewish friend. I met Greg while visiting my sister in Texas and he recently posted this on Facebook. Since it was posted on social media, I took the liberty of helping him spread it further.

So here’s the interesting information straight from Greg and the reason for my blog title:

Thanksgiving is a Jewish Holiday by Greg Savitt, Rock of Israel.

Did you know that the first Thanksgiving in 1621 was patterned after the Jewish holiday the Feast of Tabernacles found in Leviticus 23:39-44?

First, both Thanksgiving and The Feast of Tabernacles are celebrated in the fall. The Pilgrims went to the New World to celebrate their religious freedom. Both holidays dealt with a harvest of food.

There is an old saying for all Jewish holidays. First, our enemies persecuted us; second, God gave us the victory, and finally, let’s eat. From historical writings and diaries from the Pilgrims, 1) the Pilgrims saw themselves as the children of Israel, 2) the New World was their promised land, 3) the Atlantic Ocean was there the Red Sea, 4) the Kings of England were the Pharaohs of Egypt, 5) the American Indians were the Lost Tribes of Israel, 6) the pact of the Plymouth Rock was God’s Holy Covenant, and 7) the Puritan ordinances were the Laws from Mount Sinai.

The Feast of Tabernacles or Sukkot, which is Hebrew for booths, was the last great harvest of the year. (Leviticus 23:39-44) On the First Thanksgiving, noted historian Diana Karter “The community joined together to bring the last loads of grain from the field and share a merry feast when the work was done.” Furthermore, on The Feast of Tabernacles, Jewish people had a feast from their harvest. They ate these delicious meals in booths to remind themselves that the sojourned in the desert for 40 years.”

The Feast of Tabernacles is also called in Hebrew Z’man Simchateinu, which means a season of our rejoicing, and of course, Thanksgiving is a time of our giving thanks for our blessings. The first Thanksgiving in 1621 was the Pilgrims giving thanks to a huge harvest and giving thanks to the Native Americans who had helped them.

So this year, as you pass around the turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and pumpkin pie, give thanks to Aaron and Moses and the two million Jewish people who wandered around for 40 years. I always believed if Moses’s wife Zipporah had only asked for directions, they would have arrived at the Promised Land much earlier. Joshua and Caleb trusted in God’s Word. May we trust Him as well so that we won’t wander in circles.

I hope you find this as enlightening as I have. And I agree with Greg’s comment about Zipporah asking for directions. But we women know that Moses probably would not let her ask! Ha! Ha!

It would be fun to hear how you celebrate Thanksgiving (if you do). Yes, as Greg mentioned, we have turkey, cornbread dressing (a Southern tradition instead of stuffing), mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, etc.

As always, I love to hear your comments. Maybe you already knew what I have passed on. Tell me about it, I am interested. Thank you for spending time reading what I have to share.

God bless all of you everywhere,

Reba