Thanksgiving Supplement to Birkat Hamazon

by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi

Translation by Tania Josefa

In the days of the Puritan pilgrims,
When they arrived in the land of their haven,
And suffered from hunger and cold,
And sang and prayed
To the Rock of their Salvation,
You stood by them in their time of trouble
And aroused the compassion
Of the native Indians,
Who gave them food, fowl and corn
And many other delicacies.
You saved them from starving and suffering,
And You showed them the ways of peace
With the inhabitants of the land.
Feeling gratitude, they established therefore
A day of Thanksgiving every year
For future generations to remember,
And they feed the unfortunate
With feasts of Thanksgiving.
Therefore do we also thank You
For all the goodness in our lives.
God of kindness, Lord of peace,
We thank You.

Transliteration:
B’yamey hamhagrim n’kiyey hada’a
Kisheyhigi’u l’eretz miklatam
V’savlu ra’av vakor
V’nas’u rinah ut’filah
l’tzur y’shua’tam
amad’ta lahem b’yet tzaratam
v’yorar’ta khemlat hatoshavim
haindiyanim aleyhem
v’hey’eykhilom mazon, barburim v’tiraz
v’kol ma’adanim
Hitzaltam meyra’av v’yagon
B’heyr’eyta lahem darkhey shalom
Im toshvey ha’aretz
Al ken b’rigshey todah kev’u
Yom todah kol shanah v’shanah
L’zekher l’dorot
U’ma’akhilim s’udot
Hodayah l’umlalim
Lakhen gam anu modem l’kha
Al hatovot b’khayeynu
El hahodaot, adon hashalom
Modim anakhnu lakh

בְּיַמֵּי הַמְהַגְרִים נְקִיֵי הַדַּעַת

כִּשֶׁהִגִּיעוּ לְאֶרֶץ מִקְלָטָם

וְסָבְלוּ רָעָב וָקוֹר

וְנָשְׂאוּ רִנָּה וּתְפִלָּה

לְצוּר יְשׁוּעָתָם

עָמַדְתָּ לָהֶם בְּעֵת צָרָתָם

וְעוֹרַרְתָּ חֶמְלַת הַתּוֹשָׁבִים

הַאִינְדִיָנִים עֲלֵיהֶם

וְהֶאֱכִילוּם מָזוֹן, בַּרְבּוּרִים וְתִירָז

וְכָל מַעֲדַנִּים

הִצַּלְתָם מֵרָעָב וְיָגוֹן

וְהֶרְאֵתָ לָהֶם דַּרְכֵי שָׁלוֹם

עִם תוֹשְׁבֵי הָאָרֶץ

עַל כֵּן בְּרִגְשֵׁי תּוֹדֶה תּוֹדָה קָבְעוּ

יוֹם תּוֹדָה כָּל שָׁנָה וְשָׁנָה

לְזֵכֶר לְדוֹרוֹת

וּמַאֲכִילִים סעוּדוֹת

הוֹדָיָה לְאוּמְלָלִים

לָכֵן גַּם אָנוּ מוֹדִים לְךָ

עַל הַטּוֹבוֹת בְּחַיֵּינוּ

אֵל הָהוֹדָאוֹת, אֲדוֹן הַשָּׁלוֹם

מוֹדִים אֲנַחְנוּ לָךְ

Republished with permission from the author.

Posted in Blessings for Food, Thanksgiving
birkat hamazon, food, gratitude, thanksgiving

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