Words of Hope: Joy, always

There are times in the calendar year that are special. Happy times. We want to celebrate, enjoy, and be in good spirits.

But that’s not always easy. Sometimes it can feel impossible. Things happen. They can be hard, painful, very painful. What should we do? How should we manage this?

In Jewish life, we encourage our children to memorize certain key passages of our faith. My children know this by heart:

“The purpose and objective of the entire creation is: to make a dwelling place for G-d in this lowest of worlds” (Tanya, Ch. 33)

In short, the Jewish approach to our purpose on earth is that it is to bring the highest of good - G-dliness! - into the most broken and desperate of places.

So If you’re down and not feeling in the mood, well, that means the mission is on! Our purpose in life is exactly this: To bring hope in place of despair, happiness to when it can be sad, light to where it can be very dark.

And on it goes: we are here to bring help to the vulnerable, wisdom to those who lack it, abundance to deprivation, a moral voice to a place of depravity, healing to the sick, and justice where evil might run free.

“Bringing G-d to the lowest of worlds” is the surest way to joy and good cheer. Think about it: what could be better than knowing that we are doing exactly what we are called on to do?

So let’s make this powerful choice. Lift your own spirit and that of those around you. Get together. Have a little to eat and share a toast. Say a kind word. Sing some songs. And all the while, remember: the choice of illuminating yourself and your surroundings fulfills the very reason for our coming to this earth. Not bad, right?