We live in an era when the fields of joy and happiness are legitimate areas for scientific research. Martin Seligman, Brene Brown, and Tal Ben Shahar, among many others, have investigated ways to boost happiness levels and to help people work towards a life of fulfillment and meaning. Research has shown that 40 percent of our happiness is determined by our thoughts and behaviors, with a paltry 10 percent attributed to life circumstances. The other 50 is genetically influenced. This means almost half our happiness is up to us.
The pillars of a happy life, according to these scientists, include exercising and being proactive, embracing a full range of emotions, engaging in meaningful activities, connecting with others in positive relationships, and, above all, expressing gratitude.
This week happens to mark the celebration of the Jewish fall holiday of Sukkoth. Observance of the holiday seems to be overlooked by most Jewish Americans. This is ironic because in the days of antiquity, Sukkot was the most significant holiday — mentioned more times in the Bible than the other holidays. The Bible even refers to Sukkot as hag (holiday) with no qualifier. And, Jews are enjoined not just once but three times to “Be joyous on this holiday.”
What’s so special about this festival, you might well ask? There is no special food connected with Sukkoth, like matzoh on Passover or hamantaschen on Purim. The three main requirements are (1) to dwell in Sukkah or a hut commemorating how the Israelites lived without permanent houses while they wandered in the desert 40 years; (2) to say a blessing over a Palm branch, willow leaves, myrtle leaves, and citron; (3) in times of the temple, to have a water drawing. Is this how we should feel joy – remembering 40 years of homelessness, using some strange agricultural ritual, and recalling an extinct water libation ceremony?
The Sukkah
Citing Hasidic sources, my son Edward pointed out how these rituals embody modern psychological approaches to achieving happiness and joy. Like many practicing clinical psychologists, one of the first things I urge my depressed clients to do is take some positive action, to take some steps, even small ones, to get out of their comfort (or often discomfort) zones and to become more self-aware. Our houses, indeed, all our material possessions are illusions. They make us feel protected and secure, but the sukkah’s structure forces us to stop comparing and to start being. Four walls are not even necessary; 2 1/2 will suffice. A roof is no roof if we can’t see the stars and allow for some vulnerability. Plus, the sukkah is not a house; it is a shoddy suggestion of a house, and a reminder that our joy and security are not driven by what we put around us but what we put ourselves into. Sukkot, then, is the holiday of collective and individual vulnerability. Unlike other holidays, on Sukkot we can’t just dip in, utter a few prayers and feel like we checked off the box. Sukkot mandates presence, which puts us on the path to a true feeling of joy. As Brene Brown’s research has shown, authentic joy means having the courage to show up when you can't control the outcome. The sukkah, then, is a symbol of this principle, to open us to new perspectives, to embrace our vulnerability and life’s uncertainty, and to get more in touch with our bodies and our feelings.
Speaking of bodies, the four types of agricultural plants we grip on Sukkoth each represent a different organ of the body.
The Lulav
The lulav or palm represents the spine of the human being – straight, durable, upright and resilient; it is a reminder that how we hold ourselves erect, how we stand and our posture alone, can have a big effect on our happiness. Some social psychologists have suggested “fake it until you make it,” meaning that "power posing" -- standing in a posture of confidence, even when we don't feel confident -- can boost feelings of courage.
Joy in Judaism is not merely eating good meat and drinking wine — what has been called the happiness of one’s gut. It means being straight and unbending in pursuing higher and sacred meaning in life.
The Etrog
The Etrog or citron represents the heart, and it is a remarkable fruit that never falls off the tree, not even when it’s ripe. You have to pluck the etrog off the tree. The etrog therefore is a symbol of dependability and continuity, a true representation of the human heart. As we hold it in our left hand (near our own hearts), we should ask ourselves whether we dwell on negative feelings and emotions or whether we look more to the positive experiences of our life. Do we remain optimistic and hopeful and view one’s past, present, and future from a constructive perspective? Do we accept and process all emotions, even the negative ones? Happiness is not just pleasure; sometimes it involves pain. Are we willing to give someone our heart and say, 'I know this could hurt so bad, but I'm willing to do it; I'm willing to be vulnerable and love you?” Are we able to navigate uncertainty, risk, and emotional exposure? On Sukkot we entertain all of these questions, particularly in the reading of the book of Ecclesiastes on the last day of Sukkot, a nihilistic record of humanity's fruitless search for contentment. It takes courage to open ourselves up to joy. The heartfelt and joyous way to life, Sukkoth is teaching us, is to enjoy the daily tasks in our lives and to persevere with challenges by remaining optimistic about eventual outcomes. Besides, it helps that the etrog’s fragrant smell also reminds us of the healing effects of aromatherapy.
The Hadasim
The myrtle leaves have the shape of the eyes; they serve to question are we wasting our time glued to the television or looking at addictive computer games, social media or even pornography? Or do we use our eyes for enlightenment and to focus on productive and beautiful objects? Do we shed tears for the people less fortunate than ourselves or victims of terror? True joy is when we feed converts, orphans, widows and others who are destitute and poor. In this time of pandemic, many of us find ourselves with more free time than when we had to commute to our jobs. This feeling of “time affluence” can benefit one’s physical health and subjective wellbeing and happiness as well – provided we make time for what matters and put it to good use. This is when we should be spending quality time with our children and spouses. Researchers have found that the #1 predictor of well-being is social support, and there is no Jewish holiday that is more communal than Sukkoth.
This is also a time to exercise curiosity and wonder by doing something sensory, novel, or epistemic — that is, to try something new. Wayne Dyer echoes this wisdom. He says, “If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”
The Willow
The willow leaves resemble lips so we can reflect on how mindful we are with what goes in and out of our mouths. Do we use our mouths to taste our food thoroughly and to savor what we eat? Do we pray with proper intention, or do we just mouth words? Does our verbal output include gossip, slander, and bullying; or do we use kind, compassionate and complimentary words which actually make us healthier and happier? Do we take the time to notice and reflect upon the things for which we are thankful? The science behind gratitude is unequivocal: practicing gratitude invites joy into our lives, improves our immune systems, and help us sleep better.
Simchat Beit Hashoeva
During the Second Temple period, a water libation ceremony was performed on Sukkoth with water drawn from the Gihon spring outside the Temple and then brought to the altar, where it was poured. This ceremony was accompanied with music and dancing and so much ecstasy that the Mishnah tells us that a person who had not experienced it had never experienced real joy. Since Israel is an arid, hilly land lacking the natural resources and lush valleys of the Nile region of Egypt, the Jews were ecstatic to find that their promised homeland did, in fact, have a rich well of running water near the holy temple. What they felt has been called “Collective Effervescence,” an experience of connection, communal emotion, and a “sensation of sacredness” that happens when we are a part of something bigger than ourselves. Although the holy temple no longer exists and we cannot practice this ritual, we recall it to remind us to seek transcendent and “flow” experiences in our own lives.
In many respects, Sukkoth can be called the First Thanksgiving Festival, and the Bible says specifically it should be synonymous with joy. But Judaism also recognizes that life is transient, and joy is not a constant. It comes to us in moments - often ordinary moments. A joyful life is not a floodlight of joy. That would eventually become unbearable. Joy has been called by Brene Brown a “terrifying and foreboding emotion” from the fear that stems from having our joy taken away. And if you cannot tolerate joy, what you do is you start dress rehearsing tragedy.
The wisdom of the Bible is that thousands of years ago, our sages understood that the way to create authentic, collective joy would be through simple rituals that, remarkably, capture the lessons of modern psychology. For seven days, we use an impermanent dwelling to ground ourselves in our faith and our trust in G-d with our whole beings. As we grip the four species of plants in our hands, we are also trying to get a grip on our own lives. By our actions, we strive to be straight and unbending in our service of G-d, utilizing our heart to reach an emotional Eden which can only be attained though using our eyes and mouth as spiritual vehicles.
In short, the Jewish conception of happiness embraces what has been called “radical uncertainty.” In these unprecedented times, the overlooked holiday of Sukkoth deserves a serious second look from Jews and anyone pursuing joy. Even without solid walls, we can feel safe and protected from fear of the unknown. Succoth is joyful because it is a testament to the resilience and survival of our people. We have survived 2000 years of exile, dispersion and persecution, but we have not lost our identity, our dream, our sacred mission. We know we can handle the unknown. Our senses are intact, and the Divine Presence is with us: we have all the protexia we need.
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