25 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 Thanksgiv-
ing holiday. In addition, we will discuss the

kashrus of birds in general and turkey specifi-
cally.

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.) Soloveitchik zt”l permitted tur-
key on Thanksgiving. The following are the

words written by Harav Herschel Schachter
Shlita in his sefer on the rulings of Harav
(J.B.) Soloveitchik zt”l: “It was the opinion of
Harav 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 turkey did
not lack a tradition of kashrus (see later on in

this article) and that eating it on Thanksgiving

was not a problem of imitating gentile cus-
toms. 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.