Δαφνη Ευτυχια Αρθουρος

"Simcha [joy] in the Torah is never about individuals. It is always about something we share. A newly married man does not serve in the army for a year, says the Torah, so that he can stay at home 'and bring joy to the wife he has married' (Deut. 24:5). You shall bring all your offerings to the central sanctuary, says Moses, so that 'There, in the presence of the Lord your God, you and your families shall eat and rejoice in all you have put your hand to, because the Lord your God has blessed you.' (Deut. 12:7). The festivals as described in Deuteronomy are days of joy, precisely because they are occasions of collective celebration: 'you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, the Levites in your towns, and the strangers, the fatherless and the widows living among you' (16:11). Simcha is joy shared. It is not something we experience in solitude.

"Happiness is an attitude to life as a whole, while joy lives in the moment. As J. D. Salinger once said: 'Happiness is a solid, joy is a liquid.' Happiness is something you pursue. But joy is not. It discovers you. It has to do with a sense of connection to other people or to God. It comes from a different realm than happiness. It is a social emotion. It is the exhilaration we feel when we merge with others. It is the redemption of solitude."

-- Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks (b. 1948-03-08, d. 2020-11-07), "The Pursuit of Joy"

[A good Shmini Atzeret and a joyous Simchhat Torah to everyone celebrating those holidays today and tomorrow!]