We are about to enter the month of Adar, a full month in which our tradition calls on us to be happy. And this year, as we include the leap month of the Jewish calendar, two months of Adar double our required period of happiness. Oy. For some of us it can be a challenge to be happy for two full days, much less two full months. And much like our new year’s resolutions, our first few failures sometimes cause us to give up on the whole project.
But Judaism does not require the impossible…the wisdom of this tradition is often elucidated in its interpretation, and in that vein, I propose we rethink what “happiness” is, or at least, what it is not. As I learned in Yifat Clein’s session on happiness during our Tikkun Leil Shavuot, “happiness” is often perceived as a constant state of bliss. Since that is not realistic, we are often disappointed by its absence.
If instead we strive to be grateful for what we have and cultivate an openness to joy, we can find joy in the ordinary rather than extraordinary. And that is worth practicing for at least two months.