Is anyone else getting tired of ceaseless striving? Sometimes it feels like this world just doesn’t want to heal! No matter how hard I try, I can’t seem to perfect my friends, my city, or even myself.
And yet, as much as this endless effort can wear me down, I’m reminded that I’m not alone. Our ancestors, too, faced hardship, often far greater than ours. But they also knew something we might be in danger of forgetting: how to truly celebrate.
The holiday season—whatever your tradition or belief system—is not just a pause from the chaos. It’s a vital, sacred act of renewal. For millenia, people have come together in the darkest times of the year to create light: through ritual, food, song, and joy. The bleak winters of ancient Europe, the heat of the Mediterranean, and every hardship in between were met with celebrations that honoured life, connection, and beauty. Today, despite our tribulations, so many of us are living the dreams of those who came before us, enjoying comforts and opportunities they could hardly imagine. Shouldn’t we take time to appreciate this and revel in the abundance before us?
Celebrations are not an escape from responsibility—they are a balance to it. Whether your work is a career, advocacy, or simply keeping up with the relentless news cycle, we all need time to rest and reset. Abraham Joshua Heschel, one of Judaism’s great modern philosophers, warns us: “People of our time are losing the power of celebration. Instead of celebrating we seek to be amused or entertained. Celebration is an active state, an act of expressing reverence or appreciation. To be entertained is a passive state—it is to receive pleasure afforded by an amusing act or a spectacle.” Celebration, Heschel reminds us, is a confrontation with life’s meaning, not an avoidance of it.
The wisdom of the biblical Ecclesiastes reinforces this balance: “A season is set for everything, a time for every experience under heaven... A time for weeping and a time for laughing, a time for wailing and a time for dancing.” Embracing joy and laughter does not deny sorrow; it acknowledges the fullness of life. These moments of celebration are not distractions, they are not ignoring suffering or bypassing duty—they are necessities for a well-lived life.
Jewish tradition offers a specific teaching to help us sink into holidays more fully. On many sacred days, discussing bad news is not just discouraged but forbidden by Jewish law. Why? To focus wholly on gratitude, joy, and connection. This practice, alongside engaging with all that is right with the world, creates a mental and spiritual space for true renewal. And consider another modern tradition that takes us towards this goal: putting away our phones! So often, these devices pull us from moments of beauty into cycles of distraction or negativity. Try turning them off, and notice how much more present and joyful your celebrations become.
The elements of holiday observance—across traditions—speak to something timeless. We gather for feasts with loved ones. We sing songs of joy and gladness. We beautify our surroundings with trees, lights, menorahs, or whatever our traditions inspire. These acts root us in shared humanity and remind us of the bright light that shines, even in dark times.
So this year, let’s embrace the holidays with full hearts. Take a break from striving. Treat yourself and your loved ones with the reverence and care you truly deserve.
Celebrate because of the world’s challenges, not despite them. By honoring these moments of joy, we strengthen our resilience and refresh our spirits for the work that remains.
Happy holidays! May you find true refreshment and joy, because we all deserve to feel love and happiness.
Rabbi Matthew Ponak is a spiritual counsellor, a teacher, and an author. His upcoming book makes essential teachings of Jewish mysticism accessible and places them side-by-side with inspirations from our era and the world’s great wisdom traditions. Learn more at .
You can read more articles on our interfaith blog, Spiritually Speaking, at /blogs/spiritually-speaking
*This article was published in the print edition of the sa国际传媒 on Saturday, December 28th 2024
