shared from Greater Phoenix Jewish News-
There is a lot to be happy about on this Shabbat. Not only is it Shabbat, but it is also Rosh Chodesh Adar. That is, we officially enter into the month that we identify with joy, the month in which we will celebrate Purim. In fact, the Talmud states that “Mishenichnas Adar, marbim b’simcha.” (BT Taanit 29a). That is, “When the month of Adar enters, happiness increases.”
Since our tradition rarely commands an emotion, which may be challenging, to say the least, it is kind of curious to think that we are commanded to be happy. There is a lot in this world that is actually quite concerning. There may be things in our own lives that are painful or worrisome, or any one of the myriad of things that make our everyday lives so challenging. How can we fulfill a mitzvah that requires us to be happy?
So, let’s look a bit more closely at what the Talmud is proposing. In reality, the rabbis are proposing that happiness INCREASES, not that it takes over our lives to the exclusion of all other emotions. “When Adar enters, happiness increases.” Not, when Adar enters, we MUST be happy every moment for the entire month.
One way we might interpret this is along the lines of a contemporary columnist, who suggests the idea of “happy enough.” That seems to be a more reasonable goal than non-stop glee. If I could just be “happy enough,” Dayenu!
Or, per the theme of a favorite podcast, “Ten Percent Happier.” If I could just be 10% happier, Dayenu!
Let’s consider the more modest goal that we strive to be happy enough, or 10% happier. There are three specific mitzvot, religious obligations associated with the upcoming holiday of Purim. I wonder if observing these mitzvot can help us to achieve the goal of enhancing the happiness quotient in our lives?
The first mitzvah is to listen to, to hear, the story of Purim as shared in the Book of Esther. Learning to be a good listener is a critical life skill. To be heard, and understood, is a fundamental human need. Facilitating better communication will enhance happiness in the world.
The lessons we glean from the megillah itself — admiring Esther’s moral courage, the triumph of good over evil and the survival of the Jewish people, these resonate in our hearts and deepen our sense of well-being. Developing our sense of gratitude and appreciation are sure to positively impact our feeling of happiness.
The second mitzvah is to share gifts of food and drink with friends, traditionally sending “mishloach manot” or “shalachmones” in Yiddish to at least two households. Eric Weiner writes in “The Geography of Bliss,” “The connection between food and happiness is well documented. The good people at McDonald’s know this. That’s why they call their burger-and-fries combo the Happy Meal, not the Worthwhile Meal or the Existential Meal. People may like to chew on misery, but they want to swallow happiness.” Perhaps we can make a special effort to share a meal with friends this month, increasing our happiness while doing a mitzvah!
The third mitzvah is to give tzedakah, to make sure that everyone in our community has the means with which to celebrate Purim. This Shabbat is Shabbat Shekalim, when we read from the Torah that each adult in the congregation was to donate a half shekel to support the needs of the community.
Most people report that doing good in the world, that finding ways to be helpful and useful, provides a deep sense of satisfaction and contentment. When the rabbis tell us that happiness increases in the month of Adar, they may be subtly suggesting that WE can participate in bringing about more happiness through our active engagement in doing acts of kindness and through our tzedakah.
May we, through cultivating our ability to listen, by sharing meals with friends and by caring for the needs of others, increase happiness in the world. Maybe not to the point where we are ecstatically happy every moment of every day, but maybe to the point where we are happy enough, maybe 10% happier? JN
Rabbi Bonnie Koppell is the associate rabbi of Temple Chai in Phoenix.
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