Thanksgiving Sermon of Rabbi Zev Zahavy from 1943

Here is my dad's incredible inspiring and uplifting sermon from 1943 for the holiday of Thanksgiving. It was a dark year in the history of humankind. Yet Rabbi Zahavy found ways to weave together precepts from our classical Jewish tradition to give hope and optimism to those who faced the bewildering frightening world of 1943.

I read this sermon every year and it inspires me more each time. My father was an impresario of the rabbinic pulpit.

Click here for the original text of Rabbi Zev Zahavy's 1943 Thanksgiving Sermon, published by the RCA, Rabbinical Council of America.

From the Manual of Holiday and Occasional Sermons, published in 1943 by the Rabbinical Council of America. This publication contains various sermons for Jewish holidays like Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Succoth, as well as other occasions. Specifically, the excerpts detail the full text of a sermon titled “Reasons for Thanksgiving Today” by Rabbi Zev Goldstein, which discusses why American Jews should observe the Thanksgiving holiday, even amid the second World War. The sermon explores themes of gratitude, faith, and hope during a period of global crisis, referencing the importance of thanking G-d for safety, recovery from illness, and freedom from servitude.

Here is a link to the video overview from NotebookLM (2025 - my dad would've liked this).  

And here is the link to the notebook itself. Or click below and watch. Expand it to full screen for greatest enjoyment!

A big hat tip to Zechariah for finding this and sending it to us.

This sermon for Thanksgiving Day discusses the following main points:
* **The Importance of Thanksgiving:** The sermon emphasizes the significance of Thanksgiving as a time for reflection and gratitude, especially during challenging times.
* **Reasons for Thanksgiving:** It explores the four reasons for giving thanks mentioned in the Talmud: safe passage across the ocean, completing a journey through the wilderness, recovery from illness, and release from servitude.
* **Challenges to Gratitude:** The sermon acknowledges the difficulties in finding reasons for gratitude in the face of war, suffering, and injustice.
* **The Jewish Perspective on Suffering:** It highlights the Jewish tradition of finding meaning and expressing gratitude even in difficult circumstances, drawing on the example of Rabbi Akiva.
* **Hope and Faith in the Future:** The sermon emphasizes the importance of maintaining hope and faith in the future, even during times of crisis.
* **A Prayer for a Better Future:** It concludes with a prayer for a future characterized by peace, justice, and freedom.
Overall, the sermon encourages listeners to find reasons for gratitude and to maintain hope for a better future, even in the face of adversity.