PARSHAS Pekudei 5784
It's A Choice
Shifra Yachnes
Co-Director,
SPARK
Over the past number of years the topic of gratitude has become in vogue. I have heard the message that gratitude breeds happiness and joy. Although the concept sounds nice, in actuality I had a hard time believing that it could really work for me. Until recently.
I woke up one Shabbos morning and was feeling quite low. There were a few things on my mind that were getting me down and I was feeling pretty dejected and sorry for myself. In a certain sense, it felt good to delve into those feelings for a while, but I knew that for me to survive the next few hours of hosting and socializing, I was going to have to do something fast.
As I walked to synagogue, I challenged myself to start making a list of all the things that I was grateful for in my life. I just started listing them out loud, beginning with the basics such as my eyesight and hearing (I must have looked pretty crazy to any passersby.) Sure enough as the list continued, I noticed a very strong shift in my mood and overall feeling.
What I realized was that my brain couldn’t focus on two things at once. If I was busy focusing on all my blessings, there was no room for me to feel sorry for myself. By the time I reached the synagogue, I felt downright joyful! I was completely blown away. It was a real-life experiment.
This past week we celebrated Rosh Chodesh, entering the new month of Adar. The very joyful and special holiday of Purim falls in this month and we are expected to increase our joy as Adar enters. How on earth can we be EXPECTED to feel an emotion? Isn’t happiness something that happens to us and we are the passive recipients of this feeling?
Judaism teaches us that, in fact, happiness is a choice that we get to make every single day. We will always have things in our lives that can get us down and we will always have causes for celebration and gratitude. It is up to US to choose what we are going to focus on. What I realized that Shabbos morning was that I was actually in control of my emotions and I did have the ability to increase my joy. How empowering!
As we enjoy this incredible month of Adar, let’s make a conscious effort to CHOOSE joy and to let this lesson take us through the rest of our lives.
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