וְשָׂמַחְתָּ֖ בְּחַגֶּ֑ךָ… וְהָיִ֖יתָ אַ֥ךְ שָׂמֵֽחַ׃
You shall rejoice in your festival…and you shall have nothing but joy! (Deuteronomy 16:14-15)
Sukkot is considered by our tradition to be the most joyful of all of the festivals. During Sukkot, we are, as the verse above suggests, to experience pure joy.
But how can we be commanded to feel a particular way? It’s one thing for our tradition to demand an action, but a feeling?
Max Lam (ז״ל), my father of blessed memory, used to say to me: “My boy, you have two choices in the morning. You can get up with a farbissene punim (a bitter attitude) or with a sheine, freilach punim (a beautiful, joyous attitude).” He would continue: “It’s your choice. For me? I think it’s better to choose the freilach punim!”
Sukkot reminds us to look for the joy, to anticipate it, even to create it. Here we are. We are alive. We have a beautiful community. Yes there are challenges and sorrows but today, right now, let’s find the joy and put on a freilach punim.
— Cantor Nathan Lam