It may be different with the people you know, but in my circle I have noticed one thing to be true – that the modern orthodox folks I know are much more likely to celebrate Thanksgiving than the frummies I know and that got me thinking. It got me thinking about how the frummies like to be strict when it comes to things that are actually Torah related and how the modern like to take things on as extra that aren’t always Torah related.
Take Thanksgiving for example, no matter which way you pull it, it’s a secular holiday, I tink it’s nice to have a meal – gather the family around, watch some football, throw back a few cold one’s, but that’s not too Jewish. I also believe in the concept of having a suedas hodah to give thanks to God for providing this wonderful place for us to live in relative peace without porgroms and blood libels.
If you’re really frum, you don’t even acknowledge that it exists and you throw names at it and call the people who do celebrate it, kofrim. Then there are those that have Turkey on Friday night, I love those people, because I end up getting to eat two Thanksgiving meals. Then you have those that go out to eat, or make it a night on the town and of course you have folks like me that go wherever the best invite is to.
Thanksgiving is not alone when it comes to the Modern Orthodox doing extra things that were not asked of them. Take Hallel on Yom Ha’atzmaut, I myself like to keep davening as short as possible – but I guess they like lengthen it.
You also have Shir Hamalos, I never see frummies saying that last portion of it, the Hodu part – but modern people always say it. What about the prayer for Israel and the Government, and maybe your shul says hatikva or acheinu after davening? All of this extra stuff, while the frummies only do extra stuff (in theory – although most of the sensationalist chumras and bans are not halacha and just hagwash) that is written about in the Torah/oral law.
Or am I just dreaming?
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