AppleTree Torah Thoughts/Tell Me Why Giving Thanks The Torah is filled with examples of when, and why, we should express gratitude. ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM AppleTree Editor L ong before November became the month famous for Thanksgiving, or Miss Manners had even heard of a thank-you note, the Torah was teaching the value of being apprecia- tive in both word and deed. In Hebrew, todah means "thank you," and you will see it in various forms throughout the Torah and in prayer ( Toy lehodot lAdoshem — "It is good to give thanks to God"). It is gratitude to God that is most emphasized in the Torah, especially in the Psalms. "For each and every breath that a man draws," the rabbis taught, "let him praise God." We show that we are thankful with words. In daily life, we express grati- tude to God with davening the Shemoneh Esrey, the Eighteen Benedictions, and in prayers said before and after eating and drinking. We also utter special invocations, such as the Hallel prayer, which is said on Rosh Chodesh, the begin- ning of the new month; on Chanukah; and on Sukkot, Pesach and Shavuot. Similarly, there are many special blessings said for God's gifts of nature, love, friendship, the sun and new things. Archie, liTughead, John and Don The Archies have many Jewish connections. PHILLIP APPLEBAUM Special to the Jewish News ELIZABETH. APPLEBAUM AppleTree Editor 11/22 2002 100 Q: I'm a baby boomer and I confess, I loved The Archies. I've always won- dered whether the TV show, and the group, had a Jewish connection? A: Perhaps there is no prouder moment in our vast and long Jewish history than when Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich, both of whom are Jewish, took pen to hand and wrote the song, "Sugar, Sugar." The Archies, the cartoon singing group, had an inexplicably huge hit with this number, the lyrics of which include, "Honey; ah sugar, sugar; You are my candy girl; And you got me wanting you." Mercifully, Tell Me Why can report that Barry (who was married to Greenwich when they collaborated on the song) later said he was mortified that "Sugar, Sugar," which sold 6 million-plus copies, was such a hit. He called it "a lit- tle childish song." (Barry's other hits included such sophisticated numbers as "Teenage Sonata," "Doo-Wah Diddy," "Leader of the Pack" and "Da Do Run Run.") But this is only the start of the Jewish connections. A Jew named John Goldwater created the 'Archie" comic strip and another Jew named Don Kirshner produced the cartoon show, popular in the 1960s. The "rock group," consisting of mem- bers of the Archie gang, included several Jewish singers — Barry himself, We also show that we are thankful to God through actions. The Talmud teaches that simply saying, "Thanks, God, for everything! And now, I'm outta here ..." doesn't cut it. Our gratitude also must be shown in the kind treatment we extend toward the poor and needy, wid- ows and orphans. But just as on Yom Kippur, when we must approach friends and neighbors to ask for- giveness for the wrongs we have com- mitted against them (rather than just tell God that we're sorry for everything and be done with it), so, too, does the Torah teach that we need to let other human beings know that we appre- ciate them. In II Samuel 19:32- 40, for example, King David expresses his gratitude when another provides him and his men with food in the wilderness. In II Samuel9, David shows his appreciation to Jonathan for all that his longtime friend had done for him. David does not limit himself to words: instead, David gives a great honor — a seat at his table — to Jonathan's crippled son. Probably the most famous pas- sages regarding how men and women show appreciation to each other occurs in Exodus 22:20, when God tells the Israelites that they should never oppress strangers, since they once had been strangers them- selves in the land of Egypt. Greenwich and Toni Wine. It also fea- .tured the talents of Ron Dante, who is not Jewish but later went on (perhaps as a punishment for his association with the Archies) to work extensively with the dreadful Barry Manilow. On the TV show The Archies, actor Howard Morris, providing yet another Jewish connection to Archie, served as the voice for "Jughead." As an eloquent, outspoken public advocate of slavery, Benjamin was in immediate demand upon the formation of the Confederacy. President Jefferson Davis named Benjamin the Confederate attorney general. Later, he was appointed secretary of war and still later, secretary of state. Benjamin was Davis' most influential adviser and came to be known as the "brains of the Confederacy." As the Civil War came to an end, Benjamin escaped to England, where he began a second career as a lawyer. He was wildly successful, highly respected and earned an enormous income. In 1854, as a senator, Benjamin protested the anti-Semitism of Switzerland. Although he never denied he was Jewish and never renounced Judaism, Benjamin did not practice his religion. In New Orleans, in 1833, he married a French Catholic, Natalie St. Martin. They had one child, Ninette, brought up Catholic. Benjamin became estranged from his wife and daughter, perhaps because they lived in Paris while he resided in London. In 1883, Benjamin reconciled with his wife and settled in Paris, where, in May 1884, he died. In 1874, Benjamin's daughter Ninette was married in a Catholic ceremony to Capt. Henri de Bousignac. She died in 1898. As far as is known, she did not have children. ❑ (); As a Civil War buff, I've always been fascinated by Judah P. Benjamin, the Confederate secretary of state. Was he a practicing Jew, and did he have any descendants? A: Judah Philip Benjamin was born in 1811 in St. Croix, Virgin Islands (at that time, a Danish colony occupied by the British; since 1917, it has been a territory of the United States). When Benjamin was a child, the fami- ly moved to North Carolina and later to New Orleans. Benjamin, who came from a Sephardic family, likely was raised in an observant home. Although Benjamin attended but did not graduate from Yale in New Haven, Conn., he became a successful Louisiana lawyer. In fact, he was so respected in the law that President Franklin Pierce offered him a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court. Benjamin declined. In 1852, Benjamin was elected to the U.S. Senate, serving two terms and gain- ing a reputation as the ablest debater and orator in the country. ❑