דְּלֵית נְהוֹרָא אֶלָּא הַהוּא דְּנָפִיק מִגּוֹ חֲשׁוֹכָא
Zohar
There is no greater light than the light that emerges out of the darkness.
לְפִיכָךְ אֲנַחְנוּ חַיָּבִים לְהוֹדוֹת, לְהַלֵּל, לְשַׁבֵּחַ, לְפָאֵר, לְרוֹמֵם, לְהַדֵּר, לְבָרֵךְ, לְעַלֵּה, וּלְקַלֵּס לְמִי שֶׁעָשָׂה לַאֲבוֹתֵינוּ וְלָנוּ אֶת־כָּל־הַנִסִּים הָאֵלּוּ: הוֹצִיאָנוּ מֵעַבְדוּת לְחֵרוּת, מִיָּגוֹן לְשִׂמְחָה, וּמֵאֵבֶל לְיוֹם טוֹב, וּמֵאֲפֵלָה לְאוֹר גָּדוֹל, וּמִשִּׁעְבּוּד לִגְאֻלָּה. וְנֹאמַר לְפָנָיו שִׁירָה חֲדָשָׁה: הַלְלוּ יָהּ.
לְפִיכָךְ Therefore it is our dutyto thank, praise, laud,glorify, exalt, honor,bless, raise high, and acclaimthe One who has performed all these miraclesfor our ancestors and for us;who has brought us out from slavery to freedom,from sorrow to joy, from grief to celebration;from darkness to great lightand from enslavement to redemption;and so we shall sing a new song before Him.HALLELUYA!The cup is put down.
כַּיָּמִ֗ים אֲשֶׁר־נָ֨חוּ בָהֶ֤ם הַיְּהוּדִים֙ מֵאֹ֣יְבֵיהֶ֔ם וְהַחֹ֗דֶשׁ אֲשֶׁר֩ נֶהְפַּ֨ךְ לָהֶ֤ם מִיָּגוֹן֙ לְשִׂמְחָ֔ה וּמֵאֵ֖בֶל לְי֣וֹם ט֑וֹב לַעֲשׂ֣וֹת אוֹתָ֗ם יְמֵי֙ מִשְׁתֶּ֣ה וְשִׂמְחָ֔ה וּמִשְׁלֹ֤חַ מָנוֹת֙ אִ֣ישׁ לְרֵעֵ֔הוּ וּמַתָּנ֖וֹת לָֽאֶבְיֹנִֽים׃
the same days on which the Jews enjoyed relief from their foes and the same month which had been transformed for them from one of grief and mourning to one of festive joy. They were to observe them as days of feasting and merrymaking, and as an occasion for sending gifts to one another and presents to the poor.
Rabbi Alan Lew, This is Real and You Are Completely Unprepared
And when we speak of joy here, we are not speaking of fun. Joy is a deep release of the soul, and it includes death and pain. Joy is any feeling fully felt, any experience we give our whole being to. We are conditioned to choose pleasure and to reject pain, but the truth is, any moment of our life fully inhabited, any feeling fully felt, any immersion in the full depth of life, can be the source of deep joy.
1. Take a couple minutes to read through the above text. Choose one that resonates with you the most when talking about joy and grief. Why did you choose this text? What does this bring up for you when reading it?
2. What is your relationship with joy? Have you struggled with embracing joy during times of grief?
3. After reading these texts, are you more inclined to think about joy differently?
4. Share a moment in which you were overwhelmed with a sense of joy. What did it feel like?
5. After reading the last text at the bottom, what could you do to create space for joy in your life even when we are experiencing grief or sadness?
Invitation To Practice: Take a Joy Break (The Amen Effect p.186)
Dedicate just a few minutes each day to consciously do something you absolutely love, just because you love it. Remember: joy does not preclude mourning but lives inside it. If we love fully, we should celebrate fully, even as we grieve deeply.