19 Nov TURKEY AND THANKSGIVING

Much has been dis-
cussed over the years

regarding Thanksgiv-
ing dinner. We will

discuss whether such a
party is allowed, and if
turkey may be served.
The underlying point
of the debate is whether

Thanksgiving is con-
sidered a religious or

secular holiday. In order to determine this,

we need to know the history of the Thanks-
giving holiday. In addition, we will discuss

the kashrus of birds in general and turkey
specifically.
Halachic Considerations
In order to determine if eating turkey at a
Thanksgiving dinner is permitted, we need
some background into the halachos of
following in the ways of the non-Jews.
The Torah forbids following the ways of
the non-Jews. The Rambam writes that

one should be different than the non-
Jews in his actions, knowledge and in his

understanding. The Chinuch says the reason
for this mitzvah is to distance the Jews
from the non-Jews. There is a major dispute
among the Rishonim and Achronim as to the
parameters of this issur. A practice which
the non-Jews do for their avodah zarah is
forbidden for a Jew, even if the Torah says
it is a Jewish custom. The Maharik writes
that non-Jewish practices whose reasons and
origins cannot be found are still forbidden
to Jews, since it can possibly stem from
avodah zarah. Furthermore, all immodest
practices of the non-Jews are forbidden to a
Jew. Most poskim agree with the guidelines
of the Maharik. However, the G’ra says
that we may only imitate a practice which
possibly originated in Jewish circles, and
was then adopted by the non-Jews.
According to the lenient approach (which
the halacha follows), foolish but secular
customs are permissible so long as they
have a reasonable explanation and are not
immodest.
The Opinion of Harav Moshe
Feinstein zt”l

In one teshuva, Harav Moshe Feinstein
zt”l maintains the following: “Concerning
the question of celebrating any event on a
holiday of non-Jews, if the holiday is based
on religious beliefs by the non-Jews, such
celebrations are prohibited if deliberately
scheduled on that day; even without intent,
it is prohibited because of maris ayin. . .
The first day of year for them [January
1] and Thanksgiving are not prohibited
according to law, but pious people should be
stringent.” Therefore, one should preferably
not schedule a chasuna or a Bar Mitzvah on

the night of Thanksgiving, since it may be
maris ayin. However, a seuda for a Pidyon
Haben or a Bris Milah is permitted, since it
is obvious that the seuda is a seudas mitzvah.
Nevertheless, one may schedule a chasuna
on Thanksgiving because many people are
off from work that day.
In another teshuva he writes (paraphrased),
“In regards to joining a Thanksgiving party,

since this is not brought down in the non-
Jewish writings as a holiday, and it is just a

remembrance of those who lived here, there
is no issur to make a meal and eat turkey at
the meal. However, it is forbidden to make
this a required act, but it should be voluntary,
which means not all the time – each year. In
addition, there is also a problem of adding
mitzvos . . . even though one can question
the source, it is still a real prohibition.”
Harav Moshe Feinstein zt”l says the
following in regard to the non-Jews doing
something they enjoy (this was said in
regard to going without a head covering).
“Therefore, it is obvious, that even in a
case where something would be considered
a prohibited non-Jewish custom, if many
people do it for reasons unrelated to their
religion or law, but rather because it is
pleasurable to them, there is no prohibition
of imitating non-Jewish customs. So too, it
is obvious that if non-Jews were to make
a religious law to eat a particular item that
is good to eat, halacha would not prohibit
eating that item. Any item of pleasure in the
world cannot be ossur because non-Jews do
it out of religious observance.”
According to this, if a non-Jew eats turkey
because he enjoys it then there is no need for
a Jew to refrain from eating it either.
In yet another teshuva Harav Moshe
Feinstein zt”l seems to take issue with
celebrating Thanksgiving. He says the
following: “The reason why it is forbidden
to make a party on this day is because one
is going in the ways of the non-Jews, even

if this is not a religious holiday. The non-
Jews do it for no reason. Nonetheless, eating

turkey is permitted.
Clearly, Harav Moshe Feinstein zt”l does
not agree to Thanksgiving celebrations, but
places no restrictions on eating turkey on
this day.
Opinion of Harav Yisroel Belsky Shlita
Harav Yisroel Belsky Shlita adds the
following: “If such parties were made as
a sign of patriotism to the United States, it
would be acceptable for Jews to make them
as well as a sign of loyalty to their host
country. This does not seem to be the case
however, and there is no reason that a Jew
should make them.”

Approaches of
Other Gedolim

Harav (J.B.) Soloveit-
chik zt”l permitted

turkey on Thanksgiv-
ing. The following

are the words written
by Harav Herschel
Schachter Shlita in

his sefer on the rul-
ings of Harav (J.B.)

Soloveitchik zt”l: “It

was the opinion of Ha-
rav Soloveitchik that

it was permissible to
eat turkey at the end
of November, on the
day of Thanksgiving.
We understood that, in

his opinion, there was no problem that tur-
key did not lack a tradition of kashrus (see

later on in this article) and that eating it on

Thanksgiving was not a problem of imitat-
ing gentile customs. We also heard that this

was the opinion of his father, Harav Moshe
Soloveitchik zt”l.”
The opinion of Harav Dovid Cohen Shlita
is that to eat turkey for the sake of a holiday
is prohibited by the rule of Tosfas in
Meseches Avodah Zarah since it is improper
to follow an irrational rule of the non-Jews.
Nonetheless, there is no prohibition for a
family to get together on a day when people
do not go to work and to eat together. They
may eat turkey because they enjoy it, but
not for the sake of thanks. Nevertheless, the
spirit of the Chachomim does not approve of
such conduct, since it appears as if they are
following the ways of the non-Jews.
Conclusion

There are some who felt that Thanksgiving
dinner should be avoided. However, the
custom of many people in Klal Yisroel
is to eat turkey on Thanksgiving (see
below regarding the kashrus of turkey). As
mentioned above, one should not have a
party.
Davening Later on Thanksgiving
Some poskim maintain that one should not
change the regular time for davening to
a later time even though it is a not a work
day. However, making a later minyan
is permitted if it is not at that time on a
regular (non-holiday) day. Others maintain
that since we all know that the reason for
davening later is because everyone is home
from work and they may wish to sleep later
they do not focus on the cause of why they
are off from work. Harav Yisroel Belsky
Shlita says if one normally davens late when
he has no work (i.e. Sunday) then he may do
so on a legal holiday such as Thanksgiving
as well.

Attending a Thanksgiving Parade
The question of observing or attending a
Thanksgiving Day parade is an interesting
one. It depends on the following definition:
If Thanksgiving is a non-Jewish holiday, it
would be prohibited to participate or benefit
in any way from the parade honoring the
day. If one concludes that Thanksgiving
is a secular holiday, there would seem to
be no problem in attending a parade, as a
Thanksgiving Day parade is no different
from an Independence Day parade. Although
it may be permitted to go to a Thanksgiving
parade it is not with the spirit of a Jew to
attend such parades. One who has young
children who insist on going to the parade
do not have to refuse.
Kashrus of Turkey
As mentioned above, many people have
the custom to eat turkey on Thanksgiving.
However, the kashrus of turkey is a
complicated issue.
Kosher Signs – Birds
There is a discussion in the poskim if there
is a mitzvah d’raisa or d’rabannan to check
birds for signs in order to maintain if the
bird if kosher or not.
The Torah identifies twenty-four classes of
birds which are not kosher. If a bird is not
one of the twenty-four it is kosher. However,
we cannot clearly identify these non-kosher
birds. Therefore, in order for a bird to be
kosher it has to have certain simonim. The
Torah does not give any identifying signs.
However, the Chachamim provided us with
a way to tell if a bird is kosher or not. Any
bird which is a dores, a predator, is not
kosher. Kosher birds have the following
signs: an extra finger, a crop, and the inner
layer of the bird’s gizzard can be peeled
off by hand. It should be stated that not all
kosher birds have all four signs. There is a
discussion in the poskim if a kosher bird
needs all four signs or if one or a couple or a
few are enough. If one knows that a specific

bird is a dores then
even if it has any of the
kosher simonim the bird
is not kosher.
Mesora
A number of poskim
maintain that a bird with
the correct simonim
is kosher even if there
is no mesorah and no proof that it is not
dores. The Gemora mentions a story that
certain people in a town ate a non-kosher
bird because they though the bird was
kosher. Therefore, we only eat a bird with
a mesorah that it is kosher and was eaten
by Jews throughout the ages in that place.
The Rama says this is the custom and it may
not be changed. If a bird has a mesora then
there is no need to check if it has any of the
simonim which indicate its kashrus status.
However, if one finds that it is a dores then
he should not accept the mesora. The Aruch
Hashulchan uses the word “chalilah” to
permit a bird without a mesora.
Who is Qualified to Testify on a
Kosher Bird

One may only accept testimony that a
specific bird is kosher from one who is both
a chacham and a baki. Some say that there
is no one around today who would qualify
for this.
Mesora in a Town
Once a mesora is established in a certain
town one can be very lenient regarding
this as follows: The Shulchan Aruch says
one who comes from a town where there
is no mesora on a bird and goes to a place
where there is a mesora can eat there even
if he plans on coming back. In addition, if
his hometown has a mesora on a bird and he
goes to a town where there is no mesora on
the specific bird he may eat the bird in the
latter town. However, this is only if he plans
on returning to the first town.
There are those who maintain that one who
is in a town where there is no mesora on a
bird should not eat the bird even if there is
a mesora on the bird in another town. The
custom is to be lenient.
Relying on Names
Many poskim are of the opinion that
one cannot rely on a name of a bird for a
mesorah. The reason for this is because a
species which was called by a specific name
hundreds of years ago may not be the same
today. There is a discussion if the mesora can
be transmitted with diagrams or verbally.
Goose – Duck

There are those who maintain that if a bird
has a wide beak and feet (goose, swans or
duck) it is known that it is not a dores and

permitted if it has the other three simonim
as well. However, the Rama says that we
should not rely on this if it does not have
a mesora.

Hybridization

The Gemora says that a kosher and non-
kosher animal cannot interbreed and

produce viable offspring. There are those
who maintain that this may apply to birds.
Based on this, some opine that a bird which
breeds with kosher birds and looks like a
kosher bird may be eaten even if there is no
mesora on it. Others are not convinced that
this is a valid argument.

Egg Signs

The opinion of the Avnei Nezer is that
if an egg of a specific bird is identical to
another bird it is a sign that they are from
the same species. Based on this, if the egg
of an unknown bird is identical to a known
kosher bird, the unknown bird may be eaten
without a mesora. Nonetheless, this leniency
was not accepted by other poskim.
Other Birds (Pheasant, Muscovy Duck etc.)
Many poskim dealt with the permissibility
of eating other birds and questioned their
mesora status. This discussion is beyond the
scope of this article, but references may be
found in the footnotes.
Chicken

Chickens were eaten as early as the seventh
century BCE. The chicken is a kosher
bird. There have been many poskim who
discussed the different kinds of chickens.
Most referred to a chicken as a “kibitzer
hen.”
Mesora on Turkey
The mesora on turkey has some unique
twists.
Turkey is indigenous to America, and was

brought to Europe as a product of trade
with the new land. It was at first thought
to be the larger American version of the
European chicken. Since Columbus thought
he had landed in India, the bird was called
tarnagolet hodu in Hebrew and hendika
hen in Yiddish, both of which mean Indian
chicken.
How can we consume turkey if it apparently
does not have a mesora? We know that Jews
today eat turkey but why? In addition, turkey
eggs are larger and different than other kosher
birds and it is difficult to crossbreed them
with other chickens. Therefore, the above

heterim do not apply, and its permissibility
remains in doubt. Nonetheless, the poskim
offer various reasons to permit turkey. We
will list them below:
Some argue that the Rama only requires a
mesora on a bird which was not eaten by
Jews in the past. However, a bird which
was eaten for many years and has all three
simonim of a kosher bird is permitted even
according to the Rama. There is no reason to
say that all the people who ate turkey did so
in error. Others say that we do not hold
like the Rama’s opinion, and if a bird
has the simonim which indicate a kosher
status we may eat it.
The Meishiv Davar says that when the
turkey (indik) was brought from India
there were questions regarding its kosher
status, and therefore people refrain from
eating it. However, since the majority
of people accepted it as kosher, unless
there is evidence that it is not kosher we
are not going to say that it is prohibited
(especially not to tell people who where
eating it for many years that they were
doing so in error). The Arugas Habosem
says that the mesora is only required to
prove that it is not a dores – a predator. If
the bird is monitored for at least twelve
months one may rely on the kosher status

of the bird even without having a mesora on
it, as it obviously is not a predator.
The Mei Be’er maintains that we can rely
on the Jews of India, the place of origin of
the turkey, who had a clear mesora dating
back to Moshe Rabbeinu that the turkey was
kosher. The only concern that ever existed
was if one can rely on the Indian mesora,
and he maintains that it is indeed reliable.
Both the Kaf Hachaim and the Zivchei
Tzedek say that it originated from India and
is permitted.
The Tzemach Tzedek says the fact that a
specific bird is eaten is a form of mesora.
The Devar Halacha says that the Rama
required a mesora only for a new category
of birds, but turkey is the same category as
a chicken even if there are some differences.
Some say that from the fact that turkey
entered the Jewish menu without an apparent
mesora indicates that the Gedolim in those
days did not hold like the Rama and it was
enough that the bird had the simonim which
indicates its kosher status. There are those
who say that turkey was accepted before
the Rama was born (1540). Therefore, there
is no need for a mesora since that rule was
not yet imposed at that time. However, this
is a chiddush since there are poskim who
maintain the need for a mesora even before
the Rama’s times.
In his discussions about Thanksgiving,
Harav Moshe Feinstein zt”l indicated that
there is no issue with eating turkey.
Although turkey does not have a mesora,
many poskim maintain that it is permitted.
There were those who refrained from eating
turkey because of the uncertainties regarding
the mesora issue. It is reported that Harav
Yaakov Kamenetsky zt”l did not eat turkey.
Most major kashrus agencies both in
America and in Eretz Yisroel give
hashgachas on turkey.