Dear Friend,

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you no doubt know by now that the first day of Chanukah this year coincides with the American Thanksgiving.

The media, both regular and social, has been abuzz about this unique, once-in-a-lifetime occurrence. Everyone has something to say about it.

But perhaps the most interesting part of this coincidence is that it really is no coincidence at all. Chanukah and Thanksgiving have a lot in common.

Chanukah celebrates the victory of the Maccabees, who vanquished the mighty Greek oppressors, rededicated the Temple, and lit the menorah—with oil that lasted for eight days. The celebrations are our expression of thanks to G‑d for enabling us to serve Him despite persecution.

And then, some 1,800 years later, after a group of individuals journeyed across the Atlantic in search of religious freedom, the last Thursday of November (later changed to the fourth Thursday) was proclaimed as a day of “public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty G‑d.”

Let’s give our gratitude concrete expression by lighting the Chanukah candles and helping others do the same. It is the least we can do to say “thank you!”

Eliezer Zalmanov,
on behalf of the Chabad.org Editorial Team