The Secret of Happiness
Question
Shalom, Rabbi. World happiness index said that Israel is the 4th happiest nation in the world. (South Korea ranked in the 57th place.) Israelites are very happy despite the fact that it is going through various hardships. Nations surrounding her tries to erase her from the map, and there is Phillistinian terrorism. Why is Israel so happy? What is the secret of Jewish happiness?
Answers
The short answer? Living with God.
Regardless of how much secular Jews in Israel profess not to believe in God, most of them actually do. They just keep it well hidden. The amount of Jews in Israel who fast on Yom Kippur is staggering. The amount of Jews in Israel who celebrate some form of Passover is also equally staggering. When a person understands that the whole existence of the State of Israel is inexplicable and that its ability to flourish in such a short amount of time is simply beyond the natural boundaries of our existence, then one can only come to the conclusion that everything is being governed by God. And when one realizes this fact – whether consciously or subconsciously – that everything in the Hands of God, it brings the most incredible sense of joy to a person.
Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team