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 reached the shores, 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.
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 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.
Conclusion
For Thanksgiving 2024, Finder.com notes that Americans will spend “an estimated $983.3 million” on turkeys, which the USDA estimates to be about 46 million servings. This tarnegol hodu will be enjoyed by many Americans to give thanks for living in a country that respects individual freedoms, a country that allows us to pass on the mesorah without encumbrance.