It was only a few weeks ago that everyone left Temple Beth Israel after holiday services with smiles on their faces which, in these difficult economic times, seems an impossibility. The sanctuary was filled with parents and children, grandparents and even greatgrandparents. Everyone walked out with a sense of joy.

They were there for the celebration of Simchat Torah, which literally means “rejoicing with the Torah.” The Torah is the manuscript form of the five books of Moses written in the Holy language of Hebrew on parchment. Simchat Torah is the concluding day of the week-long Jewish festival of Sukkot, the celebration of the fall harvest during which Jewish people are commanded to eat meals inside a four-sided hut with a thatched roof open to the sky — an historical remembrance of our dwelling in the desert for 40 years after fleeing our slavery in Egypt, and a connection with the verities of nature.

You might be curious as to why all the rejoicing? The congregation had just listened to the very last Hebrew passages of the book of Deuteronomy and then participated in the act of rerolling the manuscript, which is on two rollers, back to the first verses of the book of Genesis. Almost without a break, they heard those famous first words: “In the beginning God created Heaven and Earth.” This ongoing reading cycle expresses the desire to continually study the sacred guidebook and to realize that another year in the aging process brings new insights to words we formerly did not understand. Throughout the year the congregation will read four chapters per week until it again arrives at the end of the book of Deuteronomy. After the reading of the first words of Genesis, the Torah is lovingly redressed with a decorative cover and silver finials, and then everyone dances, sings songs and claps with glee as the Torah is returned to the sacred Ark.

As I was thinking about the joy and happiness that these members exude, I began to wonder how in these hard economic times one could find joy and happiness? Is there a way to achieve it while facing such a stressful period of life?

Some people may find relief from their stress by taking a trip or packing up the family and going to a theme park. But after the short-lived exhilaration, they find waiting at the gate the same unhappiness they had before they left; only now their wallet is a little lighter, which brings new worries. One might experience fun at an amusement park, but they won’t find happiness and joy there.

Maybe all these people leaving the temple are smiling because not only did they have fun with friends and acquaintances, but also because they realized that the words of scripture directed them to a meaning and a purpose to their lives. Writes the famed Albert Einstein: “If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things.” Religion directs us to God’s goals for us, that is to serve God and to live contently with one another. That is why the Ten Commandments are written on two tablets; the first five are about our relationship with God and the second five are about our relationship with our fellow human beings. So, one source of joy is to have a life goal.

Another source might be found in the words of Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese monk, activist and writer: “Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.” Maybe by finding things to smile at, and smiling more often, we might find what brings joy to our lives. In addition, Frederick Keonig reminds us: “We tend to forget that happiness doesn’t come as a result of getting something we don’t have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have.” Finding the blessings in our daily life and acknowledging them, exactly what daily prayer causes us to do, can and will bring comfort to your life.

And lastly, Dale Carnegie states: “It isn’t what you have, or who you are, or where you are, or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is what you think about.” So it is “right thought,” another instruction of our religious belief, that can lead us to happiness.

Right thought, recognizing our blessings, forcing ourselves to smile and having a goal in life will lead us to joy even in difficult times.



Rabbi Daniel A. Roberts is spiritual leader of Temple Beth Israel, Sharon.