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Joy and Community Are Essential to Jewish Fulfillment — Even in the Darkest of Times
In his evocative 1964 book, Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer, C.S. Lewis used a series of fictional letters to a friend to explore various aspects of prayer and religious life. By using this intimate literary device, Lewis made his profound insights more accessible to a broad audience.
“Joy is the serious business of Heaven,” Lewis wrote to Malcolm, suggesting that our deepest longings point us toward something beyond the earthly. “All joy … emphasizes our pilgrim status; always reminds, beckons, awakens desire. Our best havings are wantings.”
Although Lewis didn’t quote the famous verse about joy in Ki Tavo (Deut. 28:47) — which warns of potential consequences “because you did not serve God with joy and a glad heart when you had an abundance of everything” — it is clear that, like many others who have deeply reflected on faith, Lewis understood that without joy as a constant companion, and without recognizing that joy is not an add-on but a necessity, the life God gives us is squandered and pointless.
Shawn Achor, author of the bestselling book The Happiness Advantage, is a leading expert in positive psychology. According to Achor, “Happiness is not the belief that we don’t need to change; it is the realization that we can.” Rather than seeing happiness as the result of success, Achor’s research shows that happiness and positivity are actually the fuel for it.
When we cultivate a positive outlook and engage in meaningful activities, we not only enhance our mood, but also improve our performance in nearly every aspect of life. Achor’s studies demonstrate that happier individuals tend to be more productive, creative, and resilient. This is because a positive mindset opens us up to new possibilities, allows us to think more broadly, and equips us to tackle challenges with greater energy and enthusiasm.
Achor’s findings have profound implications for how we understand the role of joy in religious life. If happiness is a precursor to success, then joy in serving God isn’t just a pleasant byproduct of religious practice; it is a critical component of spiritual fulfillment and effectiveness. When approached with joy, the performance of any religious act as directed by Jewish ritual law is not just a duty but a source of strength and spirituality.
Modern neuroscience has also increased our understanding of how joy and happiness are wired into our biology. Research on the brain’s reward system reveals that acts aligned with our values — like altruism or community service — release chemicals such as oxytocin and dopamine, enhancing our well-being.
This creates a positive cycle — because the more we engage in value-based actions, the more joy we experience, which encourages us to continue. Studies from Harvard and Berkeley confirm that individuals who regularly participate in community service report higher levels of life satisfaction, much like those who perform mitzvot with genuine intention and enthusiasm.
The scientific data aligns beautifully with the Torah’s perspective. The verse in Ki Tavo warns us that the absence of joy in serving God can lead to negative consequences, and neuroscience supports this wisdom. without the neurochemical benefits of joy and fulfillment, our spiritual practices can feel hollow, and our efforts become burdensome.
It’s not enough to merely go through the motions; deep-seated joy must drive our actions. When mitzvot are performed with joy, they engage both our minds and our bodies, transforming religious practice from mere obligation into an experience that elevates and fulfills our spiritual potential.
But how do we make this happen? How can we ensure that joy truly infuses our lives? Everyone faces moments of grief and disappointment — those are inevitable parts of the human experience. The challenge for all of us is to cultivate and nurture a default setting of joy, so that we have a natural inclination to embrace it daily. How do we do it?
Viktor Frankl, the renowned Holocaust survivor and author of Man’s Search for Meaning, offers a profound insight. Even in the direst of circumstances, he said, we have the power to choose our attitude.
“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms — to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way,” Frankl wrote. For him, joy wasn’t just a fleeting feeling; it was intertwined with meaning. Finding purpose, even in hardship, can transform our experiences into something worth celebrating.
Another powerful way to cultivate joy is through gratitude, which can fundamentally shift how we see challenges in our lives. Dr. Robert Emmons, a leading researcher in positive psychology, has demonstrated via his research that gratitude helps us move our focus from what we lack to what we have, creating a mindset of abundance rather than scarcity. This shift in perspective not only increases happiness but also helps us approach life’s obstacles with a more optimistic outlook.
Gratitude, in essence, reframes challenges as opportunities for growth and learning. When we consistently focus on what’s going well in our lives, setbacks appear more temporary than permanent. This aligns with the concept of “learned optimism,” introduced by psychologist Martin Seligman, which suggests that we can train ourselves to respond to adversity with resilience and hope. By embracing gratitude and optimism, we will reinforce a sense of joy that will sustain us even in the toughest times.
Most importantly, the company we keep is critical. The people we spend time with and the environments we choose shape our emotional and spiritual state. Surrounding ourselves with positive, joyful, and supportive people helps create an atmosphere where joy becomes automatic. Community—whether it’s a synagogue, a group of friends, or a supportive family—is vital for sustaining a joyful life.
President Ronald Reagan was famous for his optimism and infectious humor, even when things looked bleak. After he was shot in 1981 during an assassination attempt, Reagan was rushed to the hospital in serious condition.
As he was being wheeled into surgery, Reagan looked up at the doctors and, with that signature twinkle in his eye, said, “I hope you’re all Republicans.” The room burst into laughter — a moment of joy even in that life-or-death situation.
When questioned about it later, Reagan said there’s no better way to help people—and yourself—than making everyone smile. Because joy isn’t just something to feel, it’s something to give. And maybe that’s the answer to all of life’s challenges: keep joy as your default setting and share it with others, even when things get tough. Everything else will follow from that.
The author is a rabbi in Beverly Hills, California.
The post Joy and Community Are Essential to Jewish Fulfillment — Even in the Darkest of Times first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War

Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests

A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan

Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.