Happiness

Today's Scripture Reading:

Torah Portion Vayera (And He Appeared)--Breisheet/Genesis 18:1-22:24
Haftarah--Melakim Bet/2 Kings 4:1-37
Ketuvim Netzarim--Luke 1:26-38, 24:3-53; Kefa Bet/2 Peter 2:4-11

The Torah cycle includes a portion of selected Scriptures for each week of the year. The cycle begins on the Sabbath after Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) in the fall every year.

It may help to have a glossary in this post:

Torah = instructions, commands, law. The first 5 books of the Tanak, or 'Old Testament'.
Tanak = word created from a Hebrew acronym תנך which stands for Torah, Nevi'im and Ketuvim (Torah, Prophets and Writings). This set of Scriptures is also known as the 'Old Testament'.
Haftarah = selected reading from the Prophets related to that week's Torah portion.
Ketuvim Netzarim = Nazarene Writings, also known as the 'New Testament'.
Mitzvah = instruction, command, good deed.
HaShem = The Name. Like 'LORD' in many English Bibles, used in substitution for the Name of the Almighty, which is יהוה . In English, it is usually written YHWH or YHVH.
Kashrut = dietary instructions or laws
Shabbat = Sabbath
Yetzer HaRa = Evil inclination

Last night I read an excellent article on the First Fruits of Zion blog, called The Mitzvah of Happiness (please read it here: http://ffoz.org/blogs/2007/10/the_mitzvah_of_happiness.html ).

The author makes the very important point that happiness is actually a self-directed action and not something that merely happens to us given the 'right' set of circumstances.

YHWH does not ever tell us to do the impossible. When He tells us, 'Don't worry. Be happy.' (and He does!), then that is exactly what He expects us to do, and we can be assured that it is something that we are capable of doing.

Shabbat Shalom (Sabbath Peace).