This is a uniquely American week! The national feast day (be it turkey, football or shopping) is upon us. No matter what religion or cultural background one may come from, Thanksgiving cuts across it all. We will be urged to render prayers of thanks and at the same time, be respectful around the table of other people’s politics. Yes, this Thanksgiving comes at a time of huge stress and strain for all of us. The Jewish world has been transformed and tetters on the precipice of doubt, transition and, yes, some fear. Antisemitism is now a real fact of life, not only around the world but at home as well. There may very well be a haze of concern hovering around many of our Thanksgiving tables and gatherings this year. Much of it is merited!
As I was thinking about this, I had the notion that amid these times of angst and concern, maybe we need to reflect a little on what brings us joy. Joy is such an uncelebrated idea, often losing out to the popular notion of happiness. America is a society that still tries to manufacture happiness. But joy, I suggest, may be much more meaningful. Think about those moments in our lives that brought us joy. I think that those moments, often fleeting, presented us with a sense of shleimut, or completeness, a sense that life made sense and that the moment was special, maybe even sacred.
We too often fail to celebrate those moments. We preach the pursuit of happiness, but does anyone really know what that means, as if achieving that mythical state is permanent. We all know that this is a myth, that happiness, as a constant state of being, is not real. What is real are those moments of joy that may bring a sense of happiness, moments that usually make up the snapshots of life that we cherish in our own memory banks.
Let me suggest that this idea of joy can mean a lot as we grow older. For many, this is a time in life that we begin to reflect and take stock. We become very aware that there are more years behind us than ahead. We are living through so many transitions, so it is not surprising that many of us begin to recalculate what is important in our lives. Thus, we arrive at the sense that the “small” moments in life are the ones that bring us most joy. As we reexamine our own priorities, how many of us come to understand that those quiet moments really do help define what is important to us now. This does not mean we retreat from the world, it just may mean that we understand that equally meaningful are those moments with a friend, family, nature and more, that give us a sense that there is joy in this life.
So, here is a suggestion, when we all get together this week, maybe take a moment to celebrate those moments in life where we found joy. I bet many of those moments will equal the feeling of thankfulness.
Alden Solovy, in his wonderful collection of poems “Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing”, has a wonderful meditation on joy which begins with:
“Listen with your eyes and hear with your heart:
In every grief, there is blessing. In every joy, there is hope.
In every love, thanksgiving…In ever thought, wisdom.
In every breath, renewal..In every moment, a choice,
To stay bent in sorrow, or to lift ourselves in songs of praise.
May your Thanksgiving bring moments of joy to you and those you care for and who care for you and may those moments be ones of renewal, hope and joy.
Rabbi Richard F. Address
Rabbi Richard F. Address, D.Min, is the Founder and Director of www.jewishsacredaging.com. Rabbi Address served for over three decades on staff of the Union for Reform Judaism; first as a Regional Director and then, beginning in 1997, as Founder and Director of the URJ’s Department of Jewish Family Concerns and served as a specialist and consultant for the North American Reform Movement in the areas of family related programming. Rabbi Address was ordained from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in 1972 and began his rabbinic career in Los Angeles congregations. He also served as a part time rabbi for Beth Hillel in Carmel, NJ while regional director and, after his URJ tenure, served as senior rabbi of Congregation M’kor Shalom in Cherry Hill, NJ from 2011-2014.
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