The Hajj and Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving, Hajj and Eid al-Adha fall within the same week this year. Hesham Hassaballa tells the story of Abraham, which inspired the rituals of the Hajj.

Avraham who came from the Tower of Babel was a master of language as the Cabala says Avraham knew the 22 movements of the mouth; from Avraham came Arabic, Hebrew and even Sanskrit–from the force of these languages three great peoples arose–Arab, Jewish and the Brahmins of India called so because they came from Avraham.

In the West the Avrahamic tradition has been reinterpreted as monotheism, but that was never Avraham’s message; everyone knew of the God of gods, but Avraham came to teach the message of how God is ever present all the time to everyone. That message resonates with the holiday of Thanksgiving.

In Hebrew the word for thanksgiving and turkey are the same–Hodu which also means India. In the Temple in Jerusalem the thanksgiving offering was made through the sacrifice of an animal, also during the Hajj a animal is sacrificed and on Thanksgiving an animal is sacrificed.

The Talmud-Book of Law says ignorant people should not eat meat because it will make them cruel and arrogant; an elevated person eats thankful to God and humbled at having to take life for the sake of life.