(טז) לַיְּהוּדִ֕ים הָֽיְתָ֥ה אוֹרָ֖ה וְשִׂמְחָ֑ה וְשָׂשֹׂ֖ן וִיקָֽר׃
(16) The Jews enjoyed light and gladness, joy and honor.
(י) וּפְדוּיֵ֨י יְהֹוָ֜ה יְשֻׁב֗וּן וּבָ֤אוּ צִיּוֹן֙ בְּרִנָּ֔ה וְשִׂמְחַ֥ת עוֹלָ֖ם עַל־רֹאשָׁ֑ם שָׂשׂ֤וֹן וְשִׂמְחָה֙ יַשִּׂ֔יגוּ וְנָ֖סוּ יָג֥וֹן וַאֲנָחָֽה׃ {ס}
(10) And the ransomed of the LORD shall return,
And come with shouting to Zion,
Crowned with joy everlasting.
They shall attain joy and gladness,
While sorrow and sighing flee.
(א) בְּעִנְיַן הַשִּׂמְחָה.
(ב) עַל־פִּי מָשָׁל, שֶׁלִּפְעָמִים כְּשֶׁבְּנֵי־אָדָם שְׂמֵחִים וּמְרַקְּדִים, אֲזַי חוֹטְפִים אִישׁ אֶחָד מִבַּחוּץ, שֶׁהוּא בְּעַצְבוּת וּמָרָה שְׁחֹרָה, וּמַכְנִיסִים אוֹתוֹ בְּעַל־כָּרְחוֹ לְתוֹךְ מְחוֹל הַמְרַקְּדִים, וּמַכְרִיחִים אוֹתוֹ בְּעַל־כָּרְחוֹ שֶׁיִּהְיֶה שָׂמֵחַ עִמָּהֶם גַם־כֵּן;
(ג) כֵּן יֵשׁ בְּעִנְיַן הַשִּׂמְחָה. כִּי כְּשֶׁאָדָם שָׂמֵחַ, אֲזַי הַמָּרָה שְׁחֹרָה וְיִסּוּרִים נִסְתַּלְּקִים מִן הַצַּד.
(ד) אֲבָל מַעְלָה יְתֵרָה – לְהִתְאַמֵּץ לִרְדֹּף אַחַר הַמָּרָה שְׁחֹרָה דַּוְקָא, לְהַכְנִיס אוֹתָהּ גַם־כֵּן בְּתוֹךְ הַשִּׂמְחָה, בְּאֹפֶן שֶׁהַמָּרָה שְׁחוֹרָה בְּעַצְמָהּ תִּתְהַפֵּךְ לְשִׂמְחָה. שֶׁיְּהַפֵּךְ הַמָּרָה שְׁחֹרָה וְכָל הַיִּסּוּרִין לְשִׂמְחָה, כְּדֶרֶךְ הַבָּא לְתוֹךְ הַשִּׂמְחָה, שֶׁאָז מִגֹּדֶל הַשִּׂמְחָה וְהַחֶדְוָה מְהַפֵּךְ כָּל הַדְּאָגוֹת וְהָעַצְבוּת וְהַמָּרָה שְׁחוֹרוֹת שֶׁלּוֹ לְשִׂמְחָה. נִמְצָא שֶׁחוֹטֵף הַמָּרָה שְׁחֹרָה וּמַכְנִיס אוֹתָהּ בְּעַל־כָּרְחָהּ לְתוֹךְ הַשִּׂמְחָה, כַּמָּשָׁל הַנַּ"ל.
(ה) וְזֶה בְּחִינַת (ישעיהו ל״ה:י׳): שָׂשׂוֹן וְשִׂמְחָה יַשִּׂיגוּ וְנָסוּ יָגוֹן וַאֲנָחָה – שֶׁהַיָּגוֹן וַאֲנָחָה בּוֹרְחִים וְנָסִים מִן הַשִּׂמְחָה, כִּי בְּעֵת הַשִּׂמְחָה דֶּרֶךְ הַיָּגוֹן וָאֲנָחָה לַעֲמֹד מִן הַצַּד כַּנַּ"ל, אֲבָל צָרִיךְ לִרְדֹּף אַחֲרֵיהֶם דַּיְקָא, וּלְהַשִּׂיגָם וּלְהַגִּיעָם, לְהַכְנִיס אוֹתָם דַּוְקָא לְתוֹךְ הַשִּׂמְחָה כַּנַּ"ל.
(ו) וְזֶהוּ: שָׂשׂוֹן וְשִׂמְחָה יַשִּׂיגוּ וְכוּ' – שֶׁהַשָּׂשׂוֹן וְשִׂמְחָה יַשִּׂיגוּ וְיִתְפְּסוּ אֶת הַיָּגוֹן וַאֲנָחָה, שֶׁהֵם נָסִים וּבוֹרְחִים מִן הַשִּׂמְחָה, לְהַכְנִיס אוֹתָם בְּעַל־כָּרְחָם לְתוֹךְ הַשִּׂמְחָה כַּנַּ"ל.
(ז) כִּי יֵשׁ יָגוֹן וַאֲנָחָה שֶׁהֵם הַסִּטְרָא־אָחֳרָא, שֶׁאֵינָם רוֹצִים לִהְיוֹת מֶרְכָּבָה אֶל הַקְּדֻשָּׁה, וְעַל־כֵּן הֵם בּוֹרְחִים מִן הַשִּׂמְחָה. עַל־כֵּן צָרִיךְ לְהַכְרִיחַ אוֹתָם לְהַכְנִיס אוֹתָם לְתוֹךְ הַקְּדֻשָּׁה, דְּהַיְנוּ הַשִּׂמְחָה, בְּעַל־כָּרְחָם, כַּנַּ"ל:
(1) On the topic of joy.
(2) An analogy: Sometimes, when people are happy and dance, they grab someone standing outside [the circle] who is depressed and gloomy. Against their will they bring them into the circle of dancers; against their will, they force them to be happy along with them.
(3) It is the same with happiness. When a person is happy, gloom and suffering stand aside.
(4) Yet greater still is to gather courage to actually pursue gloom, and to introduce it into the joy, such that the gloom itself turns into joy. A person should transform gloom and all suffering into joy. It is like a person who comes to a celebration. The abundant joy and happiness then, transforms all their worries, depression and gloom into joy. We find that they have grabbed the gloom and introduced it, against its will, into the joy, as in the aforementioned analogy.
(5) This is the concept of “They will attain gladness and joy, as sadness and sighing flee” (Isaiah 35:10). The sadness and sighing flee and run from joy. For at a time of joy, it is the nature of sadness and sighing to stand aside. Yet one actually has to pursue them, and to catch-up with and reach them, in order to specifically introduce them into the joy.
(6) This is the meaning of “They will attain gladness and joy…” Gladness and joy will catch-up with and seize the sadness and sighing as they flee and run from joy, in order to introduce them, against their will, into the joy.
(7) For there are types of sadness and sighing that are [from] the Other Side. They do not want to be a vehicle for holiness, and so they flee from joy. Consequently, one needs to force them into the holiness, i.e., the joy, against their will.
Toxic Positivity
Article -
https://www.wsj.com/articles/tired-of-being-told-cheer-up-the-problem-of-toxic-positivity-11635858001#:~:text=%E2%80%9CToxic%20positivity%20is%20positivity%20given,The%20Sixth%20Stage%20of%20Grief.%E2%80%9D
Podcast -
https://open.spotify.com/episode/2TS6yDEPmQREcCWdnHz9IG?si=884c09208518452f
I wonder...
1) What brings you joy?
2) What does joy feel, sound, and look like?
3) How do you define joy or simcha?
4) What can we learn from Jewish sources about the meaning of simcha?
5) According to your interpretation of this story, what is the relationship between joy and sadness?
6) This story was written in the year XXXX, at a time of a great deal of sorrow and loss for the Jewish people. How does that affect how you understand and read this story? What do you think motivated the authors?
7) What other plausible ways could we understand and interpret Isaiah 35:10?
8) In your life, how do you experience the relationship between joy and sadness?
9) Who are you in the story?
10) If you were the dancer, how would you feel/what would you do about the gloomy people? And vice versa?
11) Do you ever see people faking joy and hiding sadness? What is the impact of this?
12) Which statement rings more true to you: when I feel gloomy, I want to be cheered up OR when I feel gloomy, I want to sit in the pain?
How might we take this text and use developmental intentions to make it an experience of transformation? And because this is a Jewish experience, for spiritual growth?
A. What information would you want to know about your learners? What voices might they bring?
B. What sorts of prior knowledge or mindset might they bring to the study?
C. What sort of disorienting dilemma might occur for them?
D. How would you want to navigate the text? What would you highlight? How might you use the Hebrew?
E. What questions might get discussion moving in a way that might get beyond your immediate direction?
F. Where might you want to go after this lesson?
G. What would you look for as indication that the students had "learned something" ?