As a society, we are obsessed with happiness. There are endless books, podcasts, studies, and strategies devoted to finding it, creating it, measuring it, and optimizing it—and yet I’m not convinced we’ve gotten any happier. The Torah’s answer to happiness is different. Rather than telling us to chase a feeling, it repeatedly commands us to rejoice, to enjoy what we’ve been given, and to serve God with joy and gladness. I think there’s a reason for that: happiness is a discipline.
Gratitude, contentment, rejecting entitlement, choosing a positive outlook, and learning to recognize our blessings are all practices that shape the way we experience our lives.
As we approach Rosh Hashanah, I’m thinking about what God actually asks of us—and how gratitude and happiness fit into that larger picture. We talk about asking for health and prosperity, but perhaps wisdom comes first: having a direction for our lives matters just as much as having a working engine and a full tank of gas. I also share one of the phrases that has had the greatest impact on my own outlook: Rabbi Nachman’s teaching that “with joy you will go out.”
Maybe happiness isn’t something we eventually arrive at. Maybe it’s something we practice, every day, as we become the people we are capable of becoming.
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