Serve Adonai with delight,

Come into God’s presence with joyful song!

(Translation is from Rabbi Richard Levy’s book, Songs Ascending)

Inspiration

I think at this point in our journey, it’s okay to take pause and focus on joy. One of my favorite wisdoms in Judaism is the one that tells us to access joy in times of grief. Even though we may not all feel it on the same level, we ARE all grieving. We are grieving the life that we had. We are grieving the memories we don’t get to make or the occasions we don’t get to celebrate. Some of us are grieving loved ones. We are grieving for the world we once knew.

Judaism wants us to access our joy in whatever way we can. Not because we are ignoring the grief, but because joy and grief can be beautifully enter-twined.

Today, I’d like you to access your joy. Plan a zoom party, cook, paint, listen to music and dance, put on a costume, watch a funny movie, learn something new. I can’t really tell you how to access it but I can tell you that it’s important. Let the joy propel you. Let it remind you that you have joy within you.

If you feel like sharing, I’d love to hear what you did.

Rabbi Gabi