The Hebrew word for turkey coincides with the country that Christopher Columbus thought he discovered: India.
Is there a possible connection between Christopher Columbus and the Hebrew term for Turkey? From a linguistic and historical point of view, a connection can be drawn. In the Megillah, we know that Achashverosh ruled from Hodu until Kush. Hodu was India. When Christopher Columbus landed in America, he thought he discovered India. Therefore, turkey began to be called Indian Turkey. Interestingly, in Hebrew, turkey is called tarnegol hodu.
Gratitude
The foundational definition of a Jew is Yehudi, from the root of the word modeh, to give thanks. We are a people premised on the idea of gratitude: to give thanks to our Creator, G-d, our parents, and to all those who came before us. Thanksgiving falls within this theme. Rav Soloveitchik holds that Thanksgiving is a permitted holiday to celebrate and doesn’t fall into any problems of following the other nations of the world.
Thanksgiving symbolizes thanks, a deep belief we hold as part of our faith.
A Spiritual Nation
If you think about it, America was founded by religious figures that saw G-d as the ultimate Ruler. This, in itself, is a reason for us to be thankful to live in America. In addition, the Bill of Rights gives an individual the ability to shield himself from government overreach. A dictatorship was put in check.
The United States was founded based on religious freedoms and individual rights, something worthy of memorialization.
The Mesorah
The kashrus of a bird is based on mesorah. And as Rabbi Loike, the bird expert at the OU, so pointedly remarked about turkey and Thanksgiving, “It’s this holiday that reminds us turkey is kosher.” Mesorah is a fundamental concept that Rav Soloveitchik emphasized in all of his teachings. It’s the underpinning of our responsibility to pass all of our teachings onto the next generation. It works well with Thanksgiving, a time to be grateful to our Creator who gave us a place of freedom to live and to the Founders who based our society on Divine law. With this freedom, we have the opportunity to pass on our enshrined ideas to the next era.
The turkey gains its kosher status based on mesorah, the fundamental idea that keeps our religion alive.
Conclusion
For 2024, Finder.com notes that Americans will spend “an estimated $983.3 million” on turkeys, and the USDA estimates that approximately 46 million will be consumed. The tarnegol hodu will be enjoyed by many Americans, as it’s a symbol of gratitude to a country Christopher Columbus thought he discovered, and it’s a time for us to give thanks for being able to pass on our mesorah without encumbrance.
Americans, in the millions, will enjoy turkey on this Thanksgiving.