Happiness, Pleasure and Joy –
הַשִּׁעוּר מֻקְדָּשׁ לִרְפוּאַת שִׂמְּעוֹנָה בַּת שָׂרָה
תּוֹרָה צִוָּה לָנוּ מֹשֶׁה מוֹרָשָׁה קְהִלַּת יַעֲקֹב. (דברים לג, ד)
Sukkot commences and culminates with שִׂמְחָה. We refer to Sukkot as זְמַן שִׂמְחָתֵנוּand the final day of the chag is called שִׂמְחַת תּוֹרָה. How does one translate שִׂמְחָה into English?
One option is "happiness", for example, the United States Declaration of Independence lists three "ideals" upon which the country was founded - "Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness". However, as we will soon see, this does not accurately reflect the essence of the word שִׂמְחָה.
Another possibility is "pleasure". Pleasure is more intense than happiness. Happiness is perceived as something low key, constant and consistent, while pleasure is something more intense and transient.
If pleasure is more intense than happiness, then the third option "joy" is even on a higher level. If you take many pleasures and combine them into a "composite" pleasure, experienced all at once, that could be described as joy, the ultimate epiphanyof pleasure.
However, שִׂמְחָה is none of the above. It is a different concept that is essential for us to understand, because HKB"H requires us to serve Him בְּשִׂמְחָה, as it says עִבְדוּ אֶת ה' בְּשִׂמְחָה (תהילים ק, ב).
To understand the essence of שִׂמְחָה we need to briefly explore these other experiences described above, to understand why they are not the definition of שִׂמְחָה.
Let us begin with pleasure. Science has managed to reveal to some degree (there is a lot more yet to be discovered) what pleasure actually is. It involves a chemical reaction in the brain, stimulation of specific areas (approximately ten) called "pleasure centers", such as the VTA (Ventral Tegmental Area), the OFC (Orbitofrontal Cortex) and others – by neurotransmitters, such as hormones, opioids etc.
Our brains are wired and programmed so that when we have certain experiences - physical, emotional, spiritual – they activate secretion of various neurotransmitters (e.g. dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, etc.) from various glands in the body that enter the bloodstream and travel to the brain, where they activate these pleasure centers and we experience this as – pleasure.
For example, when someone gives you a hug, this stimulates the release of oxytocin and makes you feel pleasure.
These "cause and effect" mechanisms in the human body are not there randomly - simply to make us feel good. They are hardwired to ensure survival. For example, when a mother embraces her newborn baby to her breast, this physical "hugging" action stimulates secretion of oxytocin, which not only causes pleasure to the mother, it also initiates secretion of breast milk for the newborn infant. This Divinely designed mechanism ensures that both the mother and infant will experience pleasure and guarantees the survival of the infant. If breastfeeding caused pain and suffering to the mother, she would not be keen to do it, the baby would not receive sufficient nutrients and would have less chance of survival.
Sexual intercourse results in a similar chemical reaction, also for the same purpose – since it is a pleasurable experience, it encourages people to continue doing it, thus ensuring the proliferation and survival of the species.
Eating sugar rich and high fat foods also stimulates pleasure reactions in the brain, which is why so many of us love eating them.
Pleasure is not limited only to physical actions, but also to emotional and spiritual experiences. When someone sees a magnificent view, or hears a masterful symphony, or has a "Eureka" moment of insight – these also stimulate pleasure centers in the brain.
These are all natural "cause and effect" reactions which HKB"H programmed each and every one of us with. However, they can also be artificially induced using various drugs. The body has its own natural opioids, like dopamine. However, similar opioids can be derived from different plants, such as heroin from poppy seeds. Although they are not naturally occurring in the body, they have the same chemical effect on the brain.
The two main characteristics of the sensation of pleasure are – they are short lived and they are addictive. None of the experiences described above will linger for longer than a few days at most. In the majority of cases, they linger only for minutes, even seconds. This too is by Divine design. We humans are not biologically programmed to experience constant pleasure 24/7. Our pleasure centers in the brain are not meant to be perpetually activated round the clock. They are designed to be periodically activated in manageable doses.
Let's use the morning cup of coffee as an example. Many drink coffee in the morning because coffee is a stimulant, it wakes you up and allows you to focus better. A few hours after you consumed that cup of coffee, its effects will begin to dissipate. You might think the solution is to have another cup of coffee to wake you up again. Many of us have fallen into this trap. We begin drinking coffee at ever decreasing intervals and then we suddenly begin to notice that the coffee is having less of the effect it was intended for, so we up the dose from one teaspoon to two, to three. Instead of feeling more focused, we feel "strung out" and "on edge". This is not how HKB"H designed us and the natural world. If you want to feel awake and focused in the morning, the Divine solution to achieving that is to get a good night's sleep the night before. The Rambam (הלכות דעות ד, ד) says that an optimal night's sleep is eight hours. The only reason we need coffee in the morning is because we "burnt the midnight oil" the night before, stayed up too late. This is an unbalanced lifestyle and cannot be remedied artificially.
Over-consumption of pleasure does not result in an extended feeling of pleasure. Instead, it dulls the reaction sensitivity in our brains requiring ever increasing doses to register any effect, sending us in a downward spiral that often ends in our demise. This is the typical case of a drug addict.
Pleasure is not what HKB"H intended when He commanded us עִבְדוּ אֶת ה' בְּשִׂמְחָה. Pleasure is an essential element in our makeup, to ensure our physical, emotional and spiritual survival, but it is a means to an end, not an end in itself.
Joy is a more concentrated, highly elevated experience of pleasure. An example is witnessing the birth of your child. That level of pleasure stimulation is far beyond that of a regular hug, a slab of chocolate, or cup of coffee. We experience a limited number of these moments throughout our lives. They too are fleeting, but unlike regular pleasure sensations - they remain engraved in our memories and can serve as a reservoir, from which to draw on in times of need.
Another example of joy is – Shabbat. Experiencing Shabbat is also a form of elevated pleasure, which is why it is called עוֹנֶג שַׁבָּת. Shabbat is filled with a smorgasbord of pleasurable sensations, physical and spiritual. However, Shabbat is also "fleeting" – it is only one out of the seven days in the week. It serves as a reservoir from which we can draw - to tide us over the rest of the יְמֵי חוֹל, until the following Shabbat
What about "happiness", like the kind mentioned in the American Declaration of Independence? It is an "unalienable right"… Actually, to be precise, the declaration states "the pursuit of happiness" - happiness is not the unalienable right, but its pursuit!
Who doesn't want to be happy? We all prefer being happy rather than sad. We all prefer pleasure over pain. Unwittingly, the founding fathers of the USA "foretold" the outcome of the American "Dream" – the pursuit of happiness. If anything typifies the American culture, it is that pursuit. The entire society is obsessed with it - it has become the most prominent "religion" in the country. The obsession of constantly trying to feel good. This has led to the most materialistic and hedonistic culture on the planet.
Obviously, it is impossible to always "feel good" and happy naturally, so the only recourse is to resort to artificial means. Overconsumption of foods that stimulate pleasure centers in the brain – sugar and fat rich foods. Overconsumption of entertainment (the syndrome of perpetual "swiping" between video clips on your smartphone) and leisure. Overconsumption of medications - to dull pain and feelings of sadness and depression caused by the former two overconsumptions.
Perhaps the American founding fathers intended "happiness" to be a means to an end, but de facto - it has become an end in itself.
This is not the שִׂמְחָה HKB"H requires of us.
There are two types of שִׂמְחָה that HKB"H is referring to, one in עוֹלָם הַזֶּה and another in עוֹלָם הַבָּא.
The human body is not designed to experience constant pleasure. Such constant exposure results in death as we have seen above. HKB"H designed us to feelperiodic pleasure, sometimes even joy. Between those occurrences of periodic pleasure and joy, we may sometimes experience periodic pain and suffering. However, the majority of our lives we experience … normalcy - not pleasure, not pain - just normal day-to-day feeling of "OK".
There is a fundamental difference between HKB"H's concept of שִׂמְחָה in this world and the American definition of happiness. In HKB"H's intended שִׂמְחָה, we embrace all components of human life, the pleasure, the normalcy and even the pain and suffering – we embrace that too! not try to escape it like in the American pursuit of "happiness". We accept it gladly since it has been given to us by HKB"H, just like the pleasure and the normalcy. We thank HKB"H for it just like we thank Him for the pleasure and joy in our lives. All together it makes up life's mosaic. This is how it is possible to simultaneously experience the joy and fear, גִּלּוּ בִּרְעָדָה, like on Rosh HaShanah
We accept that HKB"H knows what is best for us at every millisecond of our life. Just like HKB"H knows exactly when to make our hearts beat, our nerves synapse and our "autonomic" (that's a misnomer if ever there was one – it is not autonomous in any way – it is orchestrated every millisecond by HKB"H) nervous system function, so too does He know when we require pleasure, joy, pain and suffering. They are all precisegifts to us directly from HKB"H at that specific point in time and are exactly what we need at that moment. They are ALL for our benefit, כָּל דְּעָבִיד רַחֲמָנָא לְטָב עָבִיד.
This is the kind of שִׂמְחָה HKB"H wants us to live our lives in. A constant awareness and connection with the Creator of the universe, cognizant of what He is trying to communicate to us at any given point in time, throughout our lives.
Another layer of שִׂמְחָה is - "fulfillment". A hint to this is embedded in the word itself - the gematria of שִׂמְחָה is הַגְשָׁמָה.
Every physical object in the natural universe (including each and every one of us) has something called a resonating frequency, a frequency at which the object naturally vibrates. Another name for this is simple harmonic motion.
Planets and stars move in simple harmonic motion, resonating at their natural frequency, as do molecules, atoms, electrons and quarks. This frequency is their "song", that they use to sing praises to their Creator. When the moon orbits the earth – it is in fact singing praise to HKB"H. When an electron orbits an atom, it is singing praise to HKB"H. Just like every morning the birds beginning chirping, singing praises to HKB"H, resonating with simple harmonic motion, so too do we humans have our own resonating frequency, our own song of praise to sing to HKB"H.
Just like there are infinite frequencies on the Hertz scale, there are also infinite resonating frequencies, for each and every one of us and no two are exactly the same. Just like two raindrops can never fall on the same exact microscopic spot on the ground, no two humans have the same resonating frequency. We each have our own unique simple harmonic song of praise to sing to HKB"H.
Our purpose in life (what humans have been searching for since the dawn of time, the "meaning of life") is to identify our unique resonating frequency and purpose – and fulfill it.
The way we identify it is by correctly interpreting HKB"H communication with us above, understanding in which direction He is steering us and complying willingly and not begrudgingly. In that way we will identify our purpose earlier in life rather than later.
When we wisely use our allotted time in this world to resonate at our unique frequency, thus singing praise to HKB"H, we will have achieved fulfillment and will be serving HKB"H with שִׂמְחָה. This is the accurate definition of עִבְדוּ אֶת ה' בְּשִׂמְחָה.
Although our physical bodies cannot withstand constant perpetual exposure to pleasure, our נְשָׁמָה can. This is why in Olam Habah, we will bask perpetually in the radiance of the Shechina and experience perpetual, everlasting pleasure – because it is our neshama, not our physical body.
We can get a preview of this experience in this world, on two occasions. The first is on Shabbat, which is מֵעֵין עוֹלָם הַבָּא, an appetizer for what we will experience in Olam Habah. The second is when we study Torah. When we study and live Torah, our neshama will experience the שִׂמְחָה that we can look forward to after 120. A hint to this is that the word שִׂמְחָה has the same letters as the word חֲמִשָּׁה, referring to the חֲמִשָּׁה חֻמְשֵׁי תּוֹרָה.
This is why the last day after Sukkot is called Simchat Torah, because this is the true definition of שִׂמְחָה, celebrating our lives of fulfillment according to the guidelines of the Torah.
Shabbat Shalom and Chag Sameach
Eliezer Meir Saidel
Machon Lechem Hapanim
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