A Seder

for
Thanksgiving
Lighting the Festival Lights

May these lights fill our home with light and love.
May we all be blessed at this time of thanksgiving.
Let Your face shine on us, O God.

.‫יענו ַל ְז ַמ ַהזֶה‬

ָ ‫ ֶש ֶה ֱח ָינו וְ ִקיְ ָמנו וְ ִה ִג‬, ‫על‬
ָ ‫ ֱאל ֵֹהינו ֶמ ֶל ְ ָה‬,‫תה יְ ָי‬
ָ ‫רו‬
ְ ָ
Baruch Ata Adonai Eloheinu Melech ha-olam,
shehecheyanu v'kiyimanu v'higiyanu lazman hazeh.

Blessed are You, O Eternal, our God, Ruler of the World,

who has kept us alive and brought us to this season of joy.

Blessing the Wine

We bless the wine to remind ourselves of our blessings and bounty. As we raise
our full cups, we think of the fullness of our lives.

.‫ָפ‬
ֶ $‫ ִרי ַה‬%ְ ‫רא‬
ֵ , ‫על‬
ָ ‫ ֱאל ֵֹהינ" ֶמ ֶל ְ ָה‬,‫!ה יְ ָי‬
ָ "‫ר‬
ְ ָ
Baruch Ata Adonai Eloheinu Melech ha-olam borei p'ri hagafen.

Blessed are You, O Eternal, our God, Ruler of the World,

Creator of the fruit of the vine.

Questions……
Questions for thought, for discussion, for action…
action
?‫ ַ!*ָה ַה ַ&)יְ ָלה ַה(ֶה ִמ ָ'ל ַה ֵ&ילת‬+ְ ִ* ‫ַמה‬
Mah nishtanah ha-lai-lah ha-zeh mi-kol ha-lay-lot?
Why is this night different from all other Seder nights?

At the Passover Seder we celebrate

the redemption of the Jewish people.
Tonight we celebrate our connection to all Americans.

What are we thankful for?

What are we thankful for as Americans and as Jews?
What can we bring to the country this year?
What can we do to make the world a better place?
Blessing the Bread
The Pilgrims struggled and were hungry, but they kept going and survived. We
remember all those who are hungry even today as we lift
and bless the bread.

, ‫על‬
ָ ‫ ֱאל ֵֹה)ינ" ֶמ ֶ)ל ְ ָה‬,‫!ה יְ ָי‬
ָ "‫ר‬
ְ ָ
.-‫ ֶר‬.) ‫ציא ֶל ֶ)ח ִמ ָה‬0 ִ ‫ַה‬
Baruch Ata Adonai Eloheinu Melech ha-olam,
hamotzi lechem min ha-aretz.

Blessed are You, O Eternal, our God, Ruler of the

World, who brings forth bread from the earth.

O God, Source of life, compassion, and justice, grant us wisdom and strength that
we may lift our lamps for freedom, justice, and compassion. Amen.

The Festive Meal

*You can tell the Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving story before the meal,
after the meal, or during the meal.

Blessing After Eating

To be thanks-giving, because we can.

To be thanks-giving, because of what we have been given.
To be thanks-giving, because in giving we are given.

!sjhc vtcv vbak

L’shana haba’ah b’yachad!
Next year together!
 Telling The Story
(You can tell the story during the meal, before the meal, or after the meal.
You can read it or act it out.)

Four hundred years ago, the king in England was very much like the
Pharaoh in Egypt. People were not allowed to pray to God in the way
that they wanted to. The king said: “You must pray as I do or you will
be thrown into prison.” This made some people very sad.

“Let’s leave this country,” said the sad English people to each other and
so they left their homes and went to Holland. They called themselves
“Pilgrims,” which means people who travel to find a safe and happy
place to live.

In Holland, things were good for a bit but as time went on, the Pilgrims
were not happy there either. Their children were forgetting how
important freedom was as they learned to be Dutch.

“This will not do!” said the Pilgrim mothers and fathers, and so they
decided to come to America, a land that was open and wild and free. So
they hired a ship, called the Mayflower, to take them across the ocean
to America.

It was very crowded on the ship with one hundred people on board. It
was cold and uncomfortable. The ship bounced and rolled on the rough
sea. It took two months to get from Holland to America. Children cried
and were sick.

When they finally caught sight of the land, it looked to be cold and
hard and bare, because it was winter time and there wasn’t much
greenery to see. Finally, after much searching, the tired Pilgrims
landed at a place we now call Plymouth Rock.

That first year was very hard. It was cold and snowy, and they had no
houses except whatever they could build after their long journey.
They didn’t have enough food to eat. Many people took sick and many
people died.
But spring did come and the sun shined down on the Pilgrims. The snow
melted and green returned to the trees. They made friends with the
Indians, who showed them how to plant corn and wheat and barley.
Their crops did well and they were happy.

After the summer came the fall, and the farmers gathered their wheat
and barley and corn. It was enough to save for the winter that they
knew was coming.
“Let us thank God for it all,” they said. “God made the sun shine and the
corn grow.”

“Then,” they said, “Let there be a great big party of thanksgiving. We’ll
invite the Indians to join us and we can celebrate together.”

And so they did. There was turkey and duck and geese, cakes and
bread and fish and vegetables. It was a grand feast! Many Indians
came to the party and brought food of their own to share. The party
went on for three days.

Before each meal, they would thank God together for their blessings. It
was a big celebration with races and games and dancing and singing.

It had been a hard journey for the Pilgrims and there were hard times
ahead too, but this celebration of Thanksgiving was a good way to
thank God for each step of their way.

Ever since then, Thanksgiving has been celebrated in America.

So we tell the story still today, to remember our blessings too.

Thoughts on Usage
Having young children at the table presents the challenge of understanding and
involvement. Rather than eat a meal without any preamble to its purpose, use
this brief opportunity to interest and involve your children. You may decide to
“pick and choose” from the words in this Seder, or use it as written. You know
best what your children will sit through.

If you celebrate Shabbat regularly, these symbols will feel familiar to your
children. Explain that these symbols are like Shabbat but connect us to all
Americans today.

Consider spending some time during the day visiting a soup kitchen or sorting
toys to give away. Visit a nursing home or a hospital. There are many
opportunities for Thanksgiving mitzvah projects.

Incorporate “traditional” Jewish foods into your thanksgiving meal. Serve a

kugel or challah, or whatever is traditional in your family.

Welcome guests to your Thankgiving table. Much like Passover, this is a chance
to welcome someone to our homes who may not have a place to go. Teach your
children about the mitzvah of welcoming guests.

This Seder can be just a starting place for a family conversation about thanks
and giving. As your children grow and are able to understand more and more,
add in new and different elements to keep the focus on gratitude and helping
others.

May your celebration be full and enriching.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Rabbi Phyllis A. Sommer

http://imabima.blogspot.com

I would love to hear your family’s Thanksgiving traditions and ideas.

Feel free to share with me your ideas and how you used this Seder.
imabima@gmail.com