How do we access joy when the world feels heavy?

How do we lean into joy amidst collective anguish, grief, and global uncertainty?

As we enter the holiday of Sukkos, the time of our joy, we are asked to celebrate. But what does it look like to celebrate honestly, without ignoring the ache of our times?

In this episode, we explore how Sukkos offers a model of Jewish joy that honors the emotional complexity of life.

A joy that is not about denying our pain, but about making a courageous, spiritual choice: to recognize the divine presence and be moved by it, to root more deeply into our communal spaces and our responsibility for one another, and to bring our sorrow to the dance floor, trusting in its ultimate healing.

Sources:

Chapter 33, Tanya by the Alter Rebbe

"I Praised Happiness" by Rabbi Shagar

"Catharsis" by Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik

Likutei Moharan, Part II 23:1:2

Rabbi Isaac Luria, Pri Etz Hayim, Sukkot

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