Happiness in Judaism

Happiness in Judaism and Jewish thought is considered an important value, especially in the context of the service of God. A number of Jewish teachings stress the importance of joy and demonstrate methods of attaining happiness.

There are a number of words in the Hebrew language that denote happiness:

The bible links happiness and joy in the context of the service of God.

All these curses will befall you, pursuing you and overtaking you to destroy you because you did not obey the Lord.... Because you did not serve God, your God, with joy and gladness of the heart.

Worship The Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful song.

Ecclesiastes points to the futility of seeking joy and pleasure in life, however, the Talmud comments that this is only true of joy which has not been derived from the fulfilment of a commandment.

I said to myself, "Come now, I will mix with joy and experience pleasure," and behold, it too was vanity. Of laughter, I said, "It is mirth" and concerning joy, "What does it accomplish?"

Elsewhere, the bible links happiness to finding the right answer to a question.

To make an apt answer is a joy to a man, and a word in season, how good it is!

In the Talmud, one of the primary sources for traditional Jewish Law (Halacha), happiness and sadness are associated with particular months of in the Jewish calendar. One is meant to increase in happiness during the month of Adar and decrease in happiness during the month of Av. However, in both Maimonides's main legal work and the Code of Jewish Law by Rabbi Yosef Karo, the decrease in joy during Av is mentioned while the increase during Adar is omitted. Some commentaries ascribe this omission to the fact that happiness has no concrete guidelines and depends on the nature of each individual. Whereas acts of sadness and mourning where required by law requires specification and delineation. And though happiness during Adar isn't mentioned in the main Codes, it is mentioned by the Magen Avraham, one of the main commentaries published alongside Karo's work written by Rabbi Avraham Gombiner, and in Kitzur Shulchan Aruch (the "Abbreviated Code of Jewish Law") by Rabbi Shlomo Ganzfried.

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