Let’s Make Some Angels
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By Rabbi Michael Barclay
King David was one of the greatest warriors in Jewish history, an example of how to lead in challenging times. He is one of the great integrated Jewish archetypes: a warrior and poet, a man of prayer and a man of passion. And he has words that every human being needs to take to heart during these times of war.
In Psalm 100, David writes, “Ivdu et Hashem b’Simcha.” Translated as “the work of God is done in joy,” or “worship God in joy,” this is a primary teaching in Judaism that is all too often ignored. The teaching of a warrior/king committing to joy as a form of service to God has deep implications not only for the theology of Judaism, but also as an important teaching for each of us, especially right now.
The warrior David reminds us of the importance of joy, not just as a form of healing, but as a form of worship. Darkness is defeated through the presence of light; depression and sadness are conquered by joy; and happiness is not only fun, but according to King David, it is a spiritual imperative. It is a Jewish obligation to be happy!
This makes sense on both the deepest and simplest levels. When we are happy, we bring God’s presence into the world more fully. The Talmud even teaches that “the Presence of God does not rest on sadness” (Bavli, Shabbos 30b).
In the same way that physical light conquers Darkness, the act of being happy brings the light of God to conquer the spiritual darkness that is often found in the physical world, especially during times of war. Each time we express our joy, we bring the Presence of God a bit more into this reality.
Which is why it is so important, more important now than in any other time during the past 80 years, that we fully and passionately celebrate Life, God and Judaism through rituals of happiness, such as weddings and bar/bat mitzvahs. Israel is in a war for its survival; Jew hatred is at an all-time high; college campuses are overrun with antisemites; and political pundits on both the far-left and far-right seem to agree on one thing: Everything and every problem in the world is the fault of Israel and the Jews.
But we can fight all of these challenges through one simple practice, a practice enjoined upon us by King David: Be Happy! Worship God through celebrating life: This is the true Jewish way. And the epitome of this practice is fully celebrating joyous events such as weddings and other life-cycle moments.
The term “simcha” is used as a label for happy events such as a wedding, a bar/bat mitzvah and a baby naming. The word means “happy” or “joy,” but the deeper understanding of the word — and of the power of these joyous events — goes back to Psalm 100. Since simcha means both joy and is the name for these events, perhaps we can better translate and interpret King David’s advice as:
“The real work of God is found in the joyous events of weddings and bar/bat mitzvahs.”
Pslam 100
This makes the full celebrations of these joyous events all the more important. The darkness of the war we have been experiencing since October 7 (and even more intensely since Israel and Iran have escalated the war) can be overwhelming. The pain of this war has been almost unfathomable. The horrors and heinous crimes experienced on October 7 and beyond defy understanding and are truly the expression of evil. How can we fight such evil? How can we overturn a darkness that seems to be enveloping this nation and the world?
By celebrating simchas.
While they worship death, we worship life — and there’s no better way to do that than to laugh, sing and dance at a simcha. More than ever, we must have these events and celebrate with every fiber of our being, and in so doing, we make a difference in this war against the darkness of evil. The celebrations are not just our privilege and blessing, they are a moral imperative and our spiritual obligation.
Almost 25 years ago, my dear friend Reb Avraham Greenbaum, founder of the Azamra Institute and considered one of the great kabbalists of our time, was giving a lecture on Jewish mysticism at a temple in Los Angeles. It was during the Second Intifada, and after the teaching, a man asked Reb Avraham, “This is all great, but how does it help with the war in Israel?” Reb Avraham’s answer is as true today as it was then.
“You do not understand,” he said. “This is a war between good and evil. It is being fought in the spiritual realms, and we are merely acting it out.” He continued: “The best thing that you can do to help this war is to sing and dance with your brother and sister. For when we sing and dance together, angels are born! And those angels for good will go win this war in the spiritual realms, and that will manifest peace here in this physical world.”
While that statement may sound very “mystical” and “woo-woo,” it is a core teaching in Jewish theology. What we do in this world makes a difference! Our small actions can create tidal waves that change everything. Our individual prayers, meditations and rituals make a difference on a cosmic level. And if, as our tradition teaches, this is true for individuals, how much truer is it when we gather together as groups in celebration?
When a young man is called to read the Torah, or a bride is escorted to her wedding canopy, we are celebrating life. This celebration is the greatest weapon we can have against the enemy that worships death and attacks Israel and the Jewish people. It is the true work of God in the sense that it enhances both the physical and spiritual worlds, and it defeats the darkness of war through the power of joy, love and light.
Those are all deep spiritual reasons to celebrate our simchas even more when we are at war than when there is peace. But there is also the practical psychological reason why our events must be imbued with even more happiness during these difficult times.
We have an obligation and a privilege to teach our children properly — not just through words, but more importantly, through actions. Our children must see us celebrate these simchas fully so that they perceive Judaism as a religion of joy even in the darkest of circumstances. They must see that Judaism is a tradition of happiness and joy, for we have faith in God and His relationship with the Jewish people.
For thousands of years, our people have celebrated our rituals while being surrounded by darkness, and this optimistic faith must be passed on from generation to generation. In teaching them this optimism, we are also reminding ourselves that this war will pass, that God will always keep His covenant with the Jewish people, and that peace will come.
There is an old tradition that every time we dance at a wedding, we birth angels to bless the bride and groom. Each time we laugh and sing at a bar/bat mitzvah, angels are born to protect, strengthen and guide the young man on his life’s path towards good deeds, marriage, children and all that is good in life.
Those angels are needed not just by the individuals in the ritual, but by all of us. Now more than ever, they are needed to bless Israel and the Jewish people in these dark times, when we are attacked by enemies who seek to destroy us.
So let us all go and celebrate these simchas together! Let us rejoice as young men and women are called to the Torah, and brides and grooms to their canopies of song. May we all plan and participate in the most passionate, spiritual and joyous simchas to be experienced since the times of the Temple.
God says, “I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live” (Deut. 30:19). Through our celebrations, we choose life and will always choose life and blessing, especially in challenging times. Our joy is the work and worship of God, and should never be tempered or reduced, especially in challenging times.
May we all be blessed to birth new angels through our joyous simchas, knowing that we are blessing each other, and at the same time, fighting the enemy that seeks to destroy us.
