Vampire Weekend's Surprising Jewish Stories
3 min read
Time-tested Jewish ideas to attain happiness.
Purim is one of the most joyous holidays on the year, focuses on happiness. The following seven Jewish ideas can help you move in the right direction in your pursuit for happiness.
Hatred hurts the hater. The Torah instructs us not to hate your brother in your heart (Vayikra 19:17). By learning to let go one is able to achieve greater peace and acceptance on the path to happiness.
Our sages teach that there is no joy like resolving doubt (see Proverbs 15:30). Doubts can lead to insecurity and we all have them. But some are there to be resolved. The first step is by really listening to your inner critic and questioning what it’s telling you. Are those concerns valid? Is there evidence to support them?
Oftentimes just by questioning you’ll realize which doubts deserve attention and which don’t. Let go of doubts that are out of your control and resolve those that are within your control.
I recently saw a study which showed that when it comes to happiness, it doesn’t matter so much whether things are going well. It matters whether things are better than expected. When you expect less it is more likely that the outcome will exceed your expectations.
This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t strive for more, it just means that being realistic and expecting less in certain areas can lead you to greater happiness..
When you give - be it of your time, money, expertise or self - even a small gift, gesture or compliment, your body responds by producing “happiness” chemicals such as dopamine, endorphins and oxytocin. Give more and you produce more, making you happier because giving is a gift. As the Torah says, “You shall surely open up your hand to your brother” (Deut. 15:11).
Choosing life doesn’t just mean maintaining consciousness, it means doing the things that make you feel alive, that challenge and empower you. Experiencing the joys of living allows you to live with greater joy.
Jealousy and unhealthy comparisons are the thief of joy. When we focus on what others have, we lose sight of the good we have and at the end of the day, we have all that we need. Which leads to one more idea...
Once we have established not to be jealous of what others have, we can consider happiness as contentment with what we have. The Mishna teaches, “Who is the rich person? The one who takes pleasure in his lot” (Ethics of the Fathers, 4:1). When we take the time to focus on what we have, we realize how much there is to be grateful for and utilize it with happiness.
