#106 Simcha: Joy and Happiness

“Light is sown for the righteous, and for the just of heart, happiness. – Psalm 97:11 “A joyful heart makes for good health; feeling sad dries up the bones.” – Proverbs 17:22 “The Torah is a tree of life to those who hold it fast and all who uphold it are happy. It’s ways of ways of goodness and all it’s paths are peace.” -Proverbs 3:17-18

#2. WATCH – Kids Discuss What Happiness is to Them

#3 STUDY THIS TEXT:

I call heaven and earth to witness that all people who eat of their own, and who enjoy the fruits of their own labor, and who are not supported by the community, belong to the class who are called happy, as it says, “if you eat the fruit of your hands, you are happy (psalm 128:2)” -Tanna de Be Eliyahu”

#4: WATCH – How to Build a Fishing Pole Using a Stick: Fishing 101 There is a famous saying: “Give a man a fish, he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish, he eats for a lifetime.” Being self-sufficient is a great way to learn skills, be independent and to find joy in the little things in life. (that’s our classmate Jack and a BIG FISH that he caught. Nice!)

#5 STUDY THIS:  The great hassidic sage Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav once said, “Through dancing and the movements you make with your body, you awaken joy within yourself.” – Sefer ha-Middot Simcha #8

#6 WATCH THIS – And Just Be HAPPY!

#7 RESPOND AND REACT
1. What is the Hebrew word for “joy” or “happiness?”
2. Who would you consider to be one of the most joyful or happy people that you know?
3. Do you consider yourself to have simcha? When and where and why?
4. How can you increase the simcha in somebody else’s life? In your own?
5. Is there a relationship between self-sufficiency and happiness?