Fellow congregants:

We have made it through another Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. I hope everyone found the Days of Awe meaningful and, in at least some small way, you have committed to making this year better than the last.

Now, as you receive this Bulletin, we are within the celebration of a very different holiday – Sukkot.

As many of you know, Sukkot has been called the model for the American Thanksgiving holiday. There are a number of similarities between the two: (1) They both occur in the fall; (2) They both celebrate the harvest (and eating plays a big role, of course); (3) Jews made pilgrimage to Jerusalem and the Pilgrims sailed to the New World; and (4) Jews observe the holiday by dwelling in huts and the Pilgrims lived in temporary shelters their first year here.

On Sukkot, we are commanded to be happy and rejoice. When you think about it, that is very strange.

There are many things we can do upon command, but how can we be happy? Moods and feelings cannot be turned on or off like a light switch. What if things just don’t seem to be going your way at the time? Is it in your power to be able to change your mood – to become happy if you are feeling sad?

The host of a radio show I follow has made human happiness his major topic of study. He claims "happiness is a very serious problem." His motto is that everyone is obliged to be happy because "happy people make the world better."

Even if we don’t feel so happy, he believes we must try to act happy since it is wrong to afflict our unhappiness on others.

One great thing about happiness is that it is infectious. You can catch it from other people, as well as transmit it to them.

It seems to me Congregation B’nai Moshe is a very happy place. Well, maybe if you don’t count the board meetings. ;-) - Look and listen when you are in the synagogue and you will find happiness abounds: at our programs; in our religious school classes; at Shabbat Kiddush; at daily minyan; even while doing volunteer work.

So, if your Happiness Factor seems to be low, come to B’nai Moshe and participate in our activities.

You will probably get just the boost you need.