The Power of Joy in Judaism: Why True Happiness Is the Key to Divine Connection

In Tractate Shabbat (30b), the Talmud brings a verse from Kohelet (8:15), “Then I praised joy.” From this, the Sages teach that the Shechinah (Divine Presence) does not dwell amid sadness, laziness, or lightheadedness, but only amid the joy that comes from performing a mitzvah. As it says about the prophet Elisha (Melachim II, 3:15): “Now bring me a musician. And it came to pass, when the musician played, that the hand of the Lord came upon him.”

Rav Yehuda adds that even when discussing halacha (Jewish law), one must be in a state of joy in order to arrive at the truth. Indeed, this was the practice of Rava who when beginning his Torah lecture, would first say a humorous remark. This made his students rejoice and opened their hearts to understanding the Torah.

Torah brings not only all the blessings promised in the scriptures, but also the most profound feeling available to human beings — closeness to the Divine. And yet, the Talmud teaches that Torah study and good deeds alone are not enough, because without joy, we cannot attain true spiritual heights.

Yaakov Avinu (the Patriarch Jacob) was a spiritual giant, far beyond our comprehension. The Midrash (Bereishit Rabbah, Parshat Vayishlach 76) says that he was the “choicest” of the patriarchs, he merited fathering the twelve tribes of Israel, and that the Shechinah rested on him continuously — until his beloved son Yosef (Joseph) was taken from him.

From that point on, Yaakov fell into deep sorrow, and the Shechinah departed from him for 22 years, until he was reunited with Yosef. When they met again, the verse says (Bereishit 45:27), “And the spirit of their father Jacob revived,” and the Divine Spirit returned to him.

Let’s reflect on this: During those years, Yaakov continued in his righteousness, Torah study, and acts of kindness. The Shechinah left him only because he lacked joy.

We can exert ourselves in good deeds, immerse ourselves in Torah study, and dedicate our lives to service, but if we don’t do it with joy, we will never reach the true goal.

Joy Is the Key to Prophetic Inspiration and the Holy Spirit

The Jerusalem Talmud (Sukkah 5:1) explains the verse, “And you shall draw water with joy from the wells of salvation” (Yeshayahu 12:3), saying that the Temple celebration was called “Beit HaShoeivah” (Water-Drawing Celebration), because it was from there that people drew ruach hakodesh (Divine inspiration). Even the prophet Yonah, who ascended to Jerusalem during the festival, merited ruach hakodesh because of the joy he experienced in the Temple. From here we learn that the ruach hakodesh only dwells in a joyful heart. As the verse says, “When the musician played, the hand of the Lord came upon him.”

The Zohar on Joy: The Gateway to Light, Life, and Paradise

The Zohar (Vayeshev 112b) offers numerous teachings on the power of joy and the danger of sadness:

“We have seen that the Shechinah does not dwell in a place of sadness, only where there is joy, as it is written, ‘When the musician played…’ So it was with Jacob our father — the Shechinah left him until he heard Joseph was alive, and then ‘the spirit of their father Jacob revived.’ As it is written: ‘Serve the Lord with joy, come before Him with song’ (Psalms 100:2). From this we learn that divine service must be done with joy — and through joyful song one reaches the perfection of serving the Creator.”

The Zohar adds that when a Jew rejoices in this world, that joy draws down a parallel joy from the upper worlds. Our joy awakens divine joy Above, and when there is joy Above, a double measure of spiritual joy is poured back onto the person from the World of Truth.

Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai teaches that joy and sadness are linked to the ultimate outcomes of life and death, good and evil, Paradise and Gehinnom (hell). Joy brings life, goodness, and ultimately Gan Eden. Sadness however leads to evil, death, and ultimately Gehinnom. We are commanded to “Choose life.”

Guaranteed Merit for the World to Come

The Midrash Talpiyot states: “Anyone who remains joyful all their life demonstrates great trust in God — and this single trait alone is enough to merit a share in the World to Come.”

The Ari’s Secret: Infinite Joy Brings Infinite Light

Rabbi Yitzchak Luria (the holy Ari), reached indescribable spiritual heights. His student Rabbi Chaim Vital wrote in the introduction to Etz Chaim: “My eyes, and not another’s, saw awe-inspiring wonders not seen since the days of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. He knew the Mishnah and Gemara, Midrashim and aggadot, at every level — simple, symbolic, interpretive, and mystical. He grasped the mysteries of Creation and the Divine Chariot, the speech of birds, trees, and plants. He knew the secret of reincarnation, even in inanimate objects. He conversed with souls of the living and the dead, saw souls as they departed, and spoke with the righteous in the World to Come who revealed to him secrets of the Torah.” (and much more…)

Everyone wonders how a human being reached such unbelievable heights. The answer, according to a sage of his generation, Rabbi Elazar Azkari (author of Sefer Chareidim), is the following: “So the Ari revealed to his closest disciple: everything he achieved — every gate of wisdom and divine spirit that opened to him, was a result of the boundless, infinite joy he had in every mitzvah he performed. This is the meaning of the verse: ‘Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joy and a glad heart…’ (Devarim 28:47).”

Similarly, the great Chida wrote in Moreh B’Etzba: “All of the Ari’s spiritual attainments came through the immense joy with which he fulfilled the commandments.”

Sadness Is Spiritual Sabotage

Rabbi Chaim Vital wrote in Sha’arei Kedusha: “Sadness prevents divine service. It blocks mitzvah performance, nullifies Torah study, interrupts focus in prayer, and extinguishes even the desire to serve God. It is the opening gate to the incitement of the evil inclination — because once a person falls into sadness, the evil inclination leaps upon him. In contrast, one who serves God with joy — as it is written, ‘Serve the Lord with joy’, increases in passion, love, and desire to cleave to God. It’s like a servant who serves his master with a scowling face versus one who does so with enthusiasm. As Mishlei (10:22) says, ‘The blessing of the Lord brings wealth, and He adds no sorrow with it.’”

Imagine that your beloved child, to whom you've given everything, constantly walks around the house with a sour face. How ungrateful! You’d say, “We’ve given him everything! Health, love, comfort — and he’s still upset?”

So too, say the ministering angels before the Holy One: “You gave this Jew health, parents, food, shelter, a spouse, children — and he is not satisfied?”