The Season When Joy Finds a Way
Every year as December approaches, you can sense the atmosphere shift. Lights appear in windows, familiar melodies return, and families of all backgrounds begin preparing for the traditions that give this season its unmistakable warmth. Whether one celebrates Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or simply enjoys the season’s spirit, this time of year invites us to pause, reconnect, and rediscover joy.
Yet joy is not always effortless. Some years it arrives easily; other years, it needs coaxing. Many people continue to navigate financial pressures, lingering health concerns, or the quiet fatigue that builds over a long year.
Even if our world feels steadier than it once did, uncertainties remain. And so, a question lingers: Is it appropriate to feel joy when life still has loose ends?
In my own tradition, Judaism treats joy not as a luxury but as a form of strength. The Torah describes serving God “with gladness,” and Jewish teachers emphasize that a lifted heart sharpens our thinking, expands our generosity, and steadies us in difficult moments. Joy is not escapism—it is empowerment.
One of the most striking biblical illustrations of this appears in the Book of Kings, in an episode involving the prophet, Elisha. King Yehoram approached him in frustration and fear, seeking prophetic guidance. But Elisha, unsettled by the king’s behavior, found himself unable to speak with clarity.
So, he asked for a musician—a simple minstrel—to play for him. As the music filled the air, Elisha’s tension eased, his spirit settled, and his mind regained focus. Only then did he share the guidance he was meant to offer.
It’s remarkable. Even a prophet—whose calling was to hear the divine—needed joy to think clearly. Not distraction. Not avoidance. Joy.
Spiritual clarity often arises not from sternness but from uplift.
Later Jewish teachings build on this idea. The Chassidic master Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi wrote that “joy breaks all boundaries.” When the heart is hopeful or gently buoyant, new possibilities open. We become more resilient, more patient with others, and more courageous with ourselves.
Joy doesn’t erase hardship; it expands our capacity to meet it.
I was reminded of this recently in a simple, unexpected moment. In my home, we light our menorah — our Hanukkah candleholder — in the front window. One evening, after we lit it, a neighbor walking by paused and waved.
She told me later that she loved seeing the lights each December because they made the street feel more welcoming. It struck me how our traditions, even practiced quietly in our own homes, can brighten someone else’s night without our realizing it.
A bit of light in the window becomes a bit of joy in the neighborhood.
That, perhaps, is the deeper invitation of the season. December encourages us not to ignore life’s complexities but to rise above them—to practice gratitude for the blessings we do have, from family and friendships to moments of kindness and community.
These small recognitions create sparks of joy that can carry us through the holidays and well into the new year.
Joy also multiplies when shared. It spreads through small gestures: bringing decorations down from the attic, lighting candles, preparing a meal, calling someone who may be lonely, volunteering, or offering a kind word to a stranger.
These acts are simple, yet they knit communities together. They remind us that light is strongest when carried from person to person.
As the days grow shorter and the nights grow longer, this season—whatever tradition you celebrate—invites us to rediscover joy as a source of strength. Joy warms winter. Joy steadies the spirit. Joy gives us the clarity and hope we need to face whatever comes next.
And joy is one of the few gifts that grows brighter the more we share it.
This season, may a small spark of joy travel from one heart to another, brightening even the coldest nights and reminding us that we never walk through winter alone.
Yonatan Hambourger is a rabbi and writer dedicated to serving spiritual seekers of all backgrounds on behalf of Chabad of Rural Georgia. You can contact him at y@tasteoftorah.org.