36 | SEPTEMBER 23 • 2021 
 
 
 
 

SPIRIT

Finding Simple Joys
I

n the times of the Temple, 
one of the highlights of the 
holiday of Sukkot was the 
dancing and rejoicing. Each 
night there would be celebrations 
that would last throughout the 
night and into the early hours 
of the morning. The joy was so 
great that the Talmud goes so far 
as to say that one that never saw 
a Simchat Beit HaSho’evah at the 
Temple, never saw true joy.
What is it that they were cele-
brating to such a great degree of 
unmatched intensity? What was 
the impetus, the motivation for 
such an unleashing of positive 
emotion and energy?
It was water. Usually, wine 
was used in the service of the 
Temple, but on Sukkot water was 
used. The drawing of the water 
to be used in the service was the 

source of their great happiness.
For me, this is a very integral 
and vital lesson. The simplicity 
of water.
The difference between 
wine and water is that 
wine is taking some-
thing separate from the 
inherent experience and 
adding to it to make that 
experience better. Water 
does not add anything 
separate to the actual 
experience at hand; in 
other words, it doesn’t 
add any “taste” of its own. 
Water is the highlighting 
of simplicity within the 
experience itself. And that 
brings about a different 
type of fulfillment and inner joy. 
In the complexity, busyness 
and noise of the world, I some-

times find myself losing sight 
of life’s simple beauties. From 
pausing to appreciate a sunset to 
enjoying the fall breeze, to 
pausing to ask a neighbor 
how their mother is doing, 
to complimenting the 
cashier for their profession-
alism and customer service, 
there is beauty in it all.
Thinking about the 
concept of simplicity and 
the joy it can unlock, I am 
reminded to show gratitude 
for the simple things in 
my life that are right. I’m 
simplifying my relation-
ships by focusing on what’s 
important. From my rela-
tionships with coworkers 
and friends, to family and to my 
Higher Power, focusing on what’s 
important will create beautiful 

simplicity.
Just like on the days that I 
drink a good amount of water I 
feel healthier, the days that I keep 
it simple and focus on the posi-
tive in my life I feel fuller. 
This, to me, is the message 
of the dancing at the Temple. 
The simple acts of singing and 
dancing remind us that everyone 
is truly equal and we all belong. 
This leads to a happiness that, to 
quote the Talmud, if you never 
saw it then you never saw true 
joy.
Hopefully, this Sukkot, we can 
celebrate the abundance of water 
that is all around us as we unlock 
the hidden depths of simplistic 
joy. 

Rabbi Yarden Blumstein is the teen direc-

tor at Friendship Circle in West Bloomfield.

TORAH PORTION

Rabbi Yarden 
Blumstein

Parshat 

Sukkot Chol 

HaMoed: 

Exodus 

33:12-34:26; 

Numbers 

29:23-28; 

Ezekiel 38:18-

39:11.

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