Kosher Thanksgiving

Turkey, being native to the New World, was not mentioned in the Torah.  Thus, some observant Jews are unsure whether they can eat it.  Most agree that they can, because it is certainly more like a chicken (not just taste-wise) than a bird of prey or vultures that are certainly not kosher.  The unfortunate minority follows Rabbi Yom-Tov Lippman Heller (1579-1654), who is often referred to as the Tosafot Yom-Tov, which is actually the title of a commentary on the Mishna for which he is famous.  According to Rabbi Joshua Heller,

Many of his descendants hold fast to a family tradition that he was among the early sages who declared the turkey to be non-kosher. Indeed, I have distant cousins who to this day satisfy their Thanksgiving obligations with a brisket and a chocolate turkey.

For more Talmud-worthy discussion of the holiday bird, you can visit http://www.thejewishweek.com/features/hammerman_ethics/turkey_kosher.

As we Ashkenazi Jews say, "a makeh unter yenems orem iz nit shver tsu trogen," which means "I wish I had their problems."