What do turkey, giving thanks and India have in common?

Celebrating Thanksgiving is a great opportunity to ponder the Hebrew word for giving thanks – הודו. This word has 3 different meanings:

הודו (hodu) – give thanks (the imperative form, talking to a group)

הודו (hodu) – India

הודו (hodu) – turkey 

Is there any connection between these 3 meanings?

It turns out the last 2 meanings are, indeed, connected to each other, but the fact that this word also means ‘give thanks’ is purely coincidental.

In Biblical Hebrew, הודו, hodu, is a call to others to give thanks, as found in several places in Psalms:

“הוֹדוּ לַיהֹוָה כִּי טוֹב כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ”

“Give thanks to the Lord, for [the Lord] is good; for His mercy endures forever” (118:1)

But it also means India, as found in the Book of Esther:

“הוּא אֲחַשְׁוֵרוֹשׁ הַמֹּלֵךְ מֵהֹדּוּ וְעַד כּוּשׁ”

“that Ahasuerus who reigned from India to Nubia” (1:1)

However, the two words have completely different etymologies:

The ‘giving thanks’ meaning comes from the Hebrew root י.ד.ה (Y-D-H) which also explains the name Yehuda [=Judah], as described in this week’s parsha Vayetze:

“הַפַּעַם אוֹדֶה אֶת יְהוָה עַל כֵּן קָרְאָה שְׁמוֹ יְהוּדָה”
“This time I will give thanks to God! Therefore, she called him Yehuda/Giving-Thanks” (Gen. 29:35)

In contrast, the meaning of ‘India’ is derived from the ancient Persian word for India, Hindush, used to describe the Indus River region.

But what about the ‘turkey’ connection?

In Modern Hebrew, the word for turkey, תרנגול הודו tarnegol hodu or “rooster of India,” is based on mistaken geographic origins. The same mistake also explains why we have similar words for ‘turkey’ in European languages, including Polish – indyk, French – dinde (lit. from India), Turkish – Hindi and Italian – taachino d’India.

When European explorers first encountered turkeys in the Americas, they incorrectly believed they had reached India or the East Indies. This confusion led to including “India” or “Indian” in the name of the bird which is actually native to the Americas. The Hebrew hodu probably came via Yiddish, where the bird is called “indik“.

Whether we ate hodu or any other dish, we should be thankful for the food on our table, the people we love, and the most foundational freedom of all Americans – the one which makes America a safe homeland for Jews – the separation of religion and state.