Simchat Yom Tov שמחת יום טוב

... While eating and drinking, one must feed the stranger, the orphan, the widow, and other poor unfortunates. Anyone, however, who locks the doors of his courtyard and eats and drinks along with his wife and children, without giving anything to eat and drink to the poor and the desperate, does not observe a religious celebration but indulges in the celebration of his stomach...

... For drunkenness, much joking and ligh-headedness are not joy, but rather wildness and foolishness. And we were not commanded about wildness and foolishness, but rather about joy that has service to the Maker of everything...

It was taught in a baraita: Rabbi Yehuda ben Beteira says: At a time when Beit Ha-mikdash is standing, rejoicing is only with meat, as it is said: “And you shall sacrifice peace offerings (shelamim) and eat there and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God” (Devarim 27:7). And now, when Beit Ha-mikdash is not standing, rejoicing is only with wine, as it is said: “And wine gladdens a person’s heart” (Tehillim 104:15).

The positive mitzva of the individual - ... It seems to me that rejoicing on the festival is also rabbinic, and “ve-samachta” [the Torah-level mitzva of rejoicing] – that is with peace offerings of joy (shalmei simcha)...

And the 54th mitzva is that He commanded us to rejoice on festivals, and He, may He be exalted, said: “And you shall rejoice on your festival.” …And the first matter hinted at in this command is that one should in any case sacrifice a peace offering (korban shelamim). And these peace offerings are in addition to the festive peace offerings (shalmei chagiga), and in the Talmud they are called peace offerings of rejoicing (shalmei simcha)…The statement “and you shall rejoice on your festival” includes what [the Sages] said also, “rejoice in all types of rejoicing.” And this includes to eat meat on festivals, and to drink wine, and to wear new clothes…All this is included in the statement “and you shall rejoice on your festival.” And of these, drinking wine alone is more obligatory, because it is more specifically associated with rejoicing…

Behold matza, rejoicing, and hakhel – [each is] a positive, time-bound mitzva, and women are obligated

….Rather than deriving from tefillin, to exempt [women from positive time-bound mitzvot], derive it from rejoicing, to obligate [women in these mitzvot]. Abbaye said: A woman – her husband causes her to rejoice [so we cannot derive it from the mitzva of rejoicing]. What about a widow? Through whoever she is with.

It is a mitzva for a person to cause his children and members of his household to rejoice on the festival. How does he make them rejoice? With wine, as it is written: “And wine gladdens a person’s heart.” R’ Yehuda says: women with what is appropriate for them, and children with what is appropriate for them

Rabbi Zeira asks: A woman, what is she [obligated or not] in the mitzva of bal te’acher? Do we say that since she is not obligated to appear [in Beit Ha-mikdash on the festival, she is not obligated in bal te’acher]? Or perhaps, since she is obligated in rejoicing [on a festival, she should be obligated in bal te’acher]?

Abbaye said to him [Rabbi Zeira]: Until here [Yerushalayim]. Since his mother is obligated in rejoicing, his mother brings him.

Her husband causes her to rejoice - Rabbeinu Tam explains “her husband causes her to rejoice,” that the obligation is on her husband and not on her….and this that was said in Chagiga, that his mother is obligated [in rejoicing] is obligation because of her husband and not because of herself.

…A woman, her husband causes her to rejoice. Rashi explains “A woman is not obligated in rejoicing; rather, her husband is obligated to cause her to rejoice.” This is not clear, for we count it above among the mitzvot in which women are obligated, and furthermore, Abbaye himself says in Tractate Chagiga that a woman is obligated in rejoicing…It seems that we should explain that we say thus: That we cannot derive from [the mitzva of] rejoicing [a rule to obligate women in positive time-bound mitzvot], because rejoicing is different, since the Torah only obligated women in it through the means of her husband, which is not the case for other [mitzvot], which are not dependent on the husband at all. So it seems to me.

The rejoicing referred to on festivals is that one should offer peace offerings (shelamim) in addition to the festival peace offerings (shalmei chagiga). These are called peace-offerings of festival joy (shalmei simchat chagiga), as it says (Devarim 27:7): “You shall sacrifice peace offerings (shelamim) and eat them there and rejoice before the Lord your God.” Women are obligated in this mitzva.

(17) The seven days of Passover and the eight days of Sukkot along with the other holidays are all forbidden for eulogizing and fasting. And one is obligated to be joyful and of a good heart on them—he, his children, his wife, the members of his household and all who accompany him. As it is stated (Deuteronomy 16:14), "And you shall rejoice in your holiday, etc." Even though the joy that is mentioned here is [referring to] peace offerings—as we explain in the Laws of the Festival Offering—included in that joy is for him, his children and the members of his household to rejoice—everyone according to what is fit for him.

A person is obligated to be joyous and of good heart on the holiday, he and his wife and his children and all who join him. How does he cause them to rejoice? He gives the children toasted wheat and nuts; and buys the women clothing and jewelry according to his means; and he is obligated to feed the stranger, the widow and the orphan along with the other poor people.

A person is obligated to be joyous – This is a Torah-level positive commandment, as it is written “you shall rejoice on your festival,” and it also applies to women

…The matter is according to what is explained in Yevamot 62b, “whoever does not have a wife dwells without joy, as it is written “you shall rejoice, you and your household.” if so, regarding rejoicing of the festival where it is also written like this, it is impossible for him [the husband] to fulfill this mitzva on his own. Logic tends to say that if she does not take part in his rejoicing, his rejoicing is incomplete, and therefore she is also obligated on his account…

The Sages taught: A person is obligated to cause his children and the members of his household to rejoice on a festival, as it is stated: “And you shall rejoice on your festival” (Devarim 16:14). With what should one make them rejoice? With wine. Rabbi Yehuda says: Men with what is appropriate for them and women with what is appropriate for them. Rabbi Yehuda elaborates: Men with what is appropriate for them, with wine. And women, with what? Rav Yosef taught: In Babylonia with colorful clothes and in Eretz Yisrael with pressed linen clothes.

For the women he buys new clothes and beautiful jewelry according to his means. And the men eat meat and drink wine, since there is no simcha except with meat, and no simcha except with wine.

And the person with whom she is staying is commanded to cause her to rejoice from his own resources, with food and drink and linen garments.

Therefore, it seems to Rabbeinu Yehuda that a person is obligated to eat bread on Yom Tov because of simcha.

... In contrast, now that there are so many types of clothing and jewelry available, choosing has become complicated. In many families, it is the accepted norm for the wife to choose clothes or jewelry for herself, and for the budget to be set by the couple in accordance with their means (as explained below in section 12). In order for the husband to participate in the mitzva, it is appropriate for him to encourage his wife to buy an item of clothing or jewelry for the festival. This way it can be considered a gift from him to her, which will increase her simcḥa...