By Rabbi Patrick Beaulier
Let’s start with a premise: this whole thing is insane.
🌍
A pale, blue dot (thanks Carl Sagan)
flying in the cosmos.
And you get to be on this thing. You and everyone you love, and everyone you don’t-really-love-that-much. That woman Nancy from Finance who drives you nuts about payroll, she’s on it. The mentally checked out guy at the DMV…he’s part of this thing, too. And that art teacher you had as a child who you were absolutely convinced live in a witch’s house on a hill. Yes, she too.
We’re all part of creation. And creation is wonderful. And if you’re not grateful for it, then you’re missing out — big time.
Creation is also a little sad. Because one day, (spoiler alert), it’s going to be over.
🌍
A pale, blue dot
flying in the cosmos
that may (at some point) perish into…
…nothing.
◯
How are we supposed to stand that?
Rabbi Sherwin Wine, a prominent figure in Humanistic Judaism, emphasized the importance of finding joy within our human connections. He believed that joy arises when we share our lives with others, celebrating our common humanity.
As Fiddler on the Roof author Shalom Aleichem said: life is lived with other people.
Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan, the founder of Reconstructionist Judaism, taught that joy is an essential part of our spiritual journey. He viewed joy as a source of strength that enables us to navigate life's challenges. According to Rabbi Kaplan, finding joy in everyday moments is a way to affirm our trust in a higher power — not in a God-has-a-beard-and-is-mad-at-you way, but in a way that a higher power is orienting us toward the fullest sense of our own humanity and a kind of attunement with the universe.
In Jewish tradition, there is a concept known as "Simcha," which means joy or happiness. Simcha is often associated with celebrations (and goodness, do we have many), but it goes beyond that—it's about finding joy in our daily existence.
The Baal Shem Tov, the founder of Hasidic Judaism, emphasized the importance of finding joy in all aspects of life. He believed that joy was a key to deepening one's connection with God. The Baal Shem Tov taught that even in times of hardship, we can find moments of joy by recognizing the divine spark within ourselves and others.
Enjoying this article? Join Darshan Yeshiva for only $19/month. No discount code needed. Join any time between now and the end of Sukkot to receive this discount.
Carl Sagan once again said, "For small creatures such as we, the vastness is bearable only through love." Judaism may not have been a big thing in Carl’s life. But this sentiment resonates deeply with the Jewish perspective on joy.
Love and joy are intertwined, and in Judaism, the foundation of joy lies in our capacity to love and connect with others in this world, in this life, with everything we have going on.
The idea that we can find joy in anything and everything leads us back to the beginning: that we need to cultivate gratitude for this whole, silly adventure called life on this earth.
We need to find joy in the ordinary moments—the laughter of children, the beauty of nature, the happy accidents that happen in our day.