A Message from Rabbi Bellows

November 23, 2025 /3 Kislev 5786

Dear Beth Am Friends,

As we enter the week of Thanksgiving, I’ve been thinking about the ways gratitude becomes more than a feeling—how it becomes a practice, a rhythm, a way we might shape our homes and hearts. In my own family, Kyle and I try to bring the values of blessing, appreciation, and reflection to our Thanksgiving table each year. It’s amazing how even a simple moment of reflecting on what we’re thankful for can soften the noise of the season, calm the spirit, and draw us closer to what truly matters.

Below you’ll find a short prayer that can be read before your Thanksgiving meal, along with a few ideas and resources to help bring meaning, warmth, and joy to this season of gratitude.

May this week bring you connection, nourishment, and a renewed sense of the blessings.

Wishing you and those you love a Thanksgiving filled with gratitude and grace.

A Thanksgiving Prayer by Rabbi Naomi Levy

For the laughter of the children,

For my own life breath,

For the abundance of food on this table,

For the ones who prepared this sumptuous feast,

For the roof over our heads,

The clothes on our backs,

For our health,

And our wealth of blessings,

For this opportunity to celebrate with family and friends,

For the freedom to pray these words fear,

In any language,

In any faith,

In this great country,

Whose landscape is as vast and beautiful as her inhabitants.

Thank You, God, for giving us all these. Amen.

For more resources on how to bring Jewish values to your Thanksgiving Table, see below:

• What’s Jewish About Thanksgiving? Lots!
• Appreciating our elders
• What’s Jewish About Gratitude? For Parents! An Intro to Hakarat Hatov (developing a sense of gratitude)

May we be forever grateful, naming our blessings and sharing in our bounty.

Rabbi Bellows