Happiness.
We all want it. In truth, the search for ‘happiness’ is what ultimately guides so many of our efforts and behaviors.
As we mature, we begin to recognize that ‘happiness’ is not something you can purchase and it’s not synonymous with pleasure; it’s a state of being. We also begin to realize that it isn’t an easy thing to achieve.
So how do we approach the Hebrew month of Adar (beginning this Sunday), when “increasing Happiness” is the theme? I can’t command myself into Happiness. How do I get there in an authentic way?
One might say that the Torah prepares us by providing a formula in this week’s Torah reading, which we’ll read on Shabbos, just prior to Adar’s ‘Happiness launch’.
The Torah reading has some clear directives. Among them:
1. Lend money, interest-free, to a person in need. In Torah thought, charity to the disadvantaged is a great value. But, in a way, lending him/her money is even greater. Maimonides lists eight levels of charity (Tzedaka in Hebrew) and considers a loan to be at the top. Why? Because it preserves the recipient’s dignity and self-worth. The person need not see himself as a ‘charity case’. It’s not just kindness, it’s kindness with genuine empathy. Even if you’re giving a gift, which is a beautiful Mitzvah, take the opportunity to step outside your own [good] feelings and consider how the recipient feels.
2. If you see your enemy’s animal “suffering under its load”, the Torah tells us to assist the animal repeatedly. In other words: Someone has done you wrong. Yet the Torah wants you to recognize his pain, and the animal’s, and go beyond your world of self-interest to help.
3. There’s a special additional reading on this Shabbat, which tells of the Mitzvah for each Jew to donate half a Shekel to the communal offering fund. For this ‘fundraising’ drive, no one gave more and no one gave less than that amount. It wasn’t just about amassing the funds, it was about participating as part of the larger community.
The message seems clear: There’s no greater avenue to happiness than stepping out of your own self-interest. Devote effort to something outside of, or larger than, yourself, and you’ll be refreshed by the beauty of your encounter.
It’s Adar. Give yourself a reason to be happy!