Tag Archives: happiness

Holidays, Simcha Techniques

Mikveh Before Rosh HaShana

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Because many Jews immerse in a mikveh (ritual bath) before Rosh HaShana, I am re-posting a previous blog post about a happiness visualization for the mikveh. Have a sweet and HAPPY New Year! 

— Simcha 

After deciding to start my current search for simcha (Jewish joy) on Hoshana Rabbah, one of the first things I did that morning was immerse myself in one of the local mikvehs. Hoshana Rabbah is the day when the judgment process that has started on Rosh HaShana is sealed, and I wanted to feel spiritually pure.

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Holidays, Marriage

Tu B’Av: Jewish Day of Love and Happiness

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Exactly fourteen years ago (according to the Jewish calendar), I asked Neetz if she wanted to officially be my girlfriend. She said “yes” and all these years later we have three kids, a wonderful home and countless funny stories.

Maybe part of our success has resulted from the fact that our romance began on Tu B’Av, a magical Jewish holiday of love and happiness.

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Mussar, Parenting, Shalom Bayit

A Jewish Father’s Important Catchphrase on Father’s Day

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My father isn’t particularly religiously observant. But this Father’s Day I am thinking about something he said over and over to my siblings and me during our childhood that has profoundly affected how I practice Judaism and live my life.

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Simcha Techniques, The Holy Land

3 Tips for a Miserable Country from Rabbi Jonathan Sacks

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I had the privilege and pleasure of hearing Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks speak in Modi’in last week. He is promoting his latest book, Not in G-d’s Name: Confronting Religious Violence.

Rabbi Sacks spoke about three main thought processes that occur in the minds of religious zealots who commit acts of evil. He said that although religious violence is most commonly being committed by Islamic extremists today, it can manifest in all religions.

Everyone would do well to examine these thought processes, so we can defend against the extremists in our midst. This examination would produce the side benefit of reducing fear, anguish and suffering on a personal and national level.

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Mussar, Self-Esteem, Simcha Techniques

Learning from David Blatt

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No first-time NBA coach has been as analyzed and criticized as the Cavaliers’ David Blatt — maybe ever. (Sam Amico)

Writing for Fox Sports Ohio, Sam Amico also notes that a national basketball writer with 30 years of experience said he has never seen another NBA coach so “loathed by the media.” LeBron James, Blatt’s star player, has sometimes also seemed to undermine and openly disagree with his coach.

We can debate why  Blatt, an American-Israeli Jew,  has come under such fire, but I think it’s his response that is actually more important from the perspective of obtaining greater simcha (Jewish joy).

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Gratitude, Holidays, Sadness, Self-Esteem

Bird Man, Birdman and Purim

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My name is displayed on a banner that hangs in my high school gymnasium. Nearly 20 years ago, I finished my three years of varsity high school basketball in Massachusetts having scored over 1,000 points.

At the time, I was the second-leading scorer in school history. A few years later, after others players had also broken that barrier, the school created a banner for its 1,000-point scorers.

If the high school version of me had known that one day his name would hang on a banner in the gym, he would have been ECSTATIC. I got into basketball because I craved recognition. 

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Holidays, Marriage, Shalom Bayit

Duality of the Purim Mask

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We all figuratively wear masks, at least occasionally, to hide our true identities. Some of us put on a mask at work. Others wear a mask in their communities, or even with their families. We are so scared that people will catch a glimpse of our authentic, vulnerable selves, and then reject us. It seems easier to wear a fake exterior, like armor.

It is a custom to dress up and wear masks during the upcoming holiday, Purim. When you think about it, in our everyday lives wearing a mask and hiding our authentic selves can be harmful. But in some instances, especially concerning happiness, putting on a mask can be helpful. We can call this “the duality of the Purim mask”…

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Holidays, Shalom Bayit, Simcha Techniques

G-d Bless the Comedians

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The Talmud contains a fascinating story about an act that is apparently so important and noble that it GUARANTEES the one who performs it a spot in the World to Come (Heaven).

Which singular action could be so powerful and meaningful? Does a Jew have to donate major sums of his money to earn his place in the Next World? Does he have to learn Torah 18 hours a day?

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Goal of Simcha, Holidays, The Holy Land

The Happiness of Tu B’Shevat

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When it comes to thinking about how to achieve happiness, sometimes we are presented with what seems like a binary choice: a purposeful life where happiness is a welcome side effect, vs. really concentrating on the pursuit of happiness (while neglecting meaning and service).

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Mussar, Time Management

A Secret Weapon for Happiness

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Bridget Jones’s Diary was a book (and series of movies) about a young British woman who was constantly writing down resolutions in her diary…and then breaking them. I can relate.

I’m almost 40-years-old and since high school I have been writing out pages of resolutions to live by. Sometimes I stick with them longer, other times I break quickly. But eventually procrastination and/or laziness get me every time. This feeling of being undisciplined is poisonous to my self-esteem and I constantly feel like I’m not living up to my potential.

Judaism offers a secret weapon that is CRUCIAL for the search for simcha (Jewish joy)…

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