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Always sad?
There are treatments for depression.

Always happy? Who wants to cure elation?

But there are unhealthy extremes of
mood swing that can be treated.

Is the same true about Jewish history and life?

Standard Jewish calendars show many sad days in summer time. For most of seven weeks from Passover Seder until Shavuot, some Jews abstain from many pleasures while we count the 49 days of Sefirat ha-Omer. For most of three weeks from the fast of the 17^th of Tammuz (this Thursday, July 9) until the fast of the 9^th of Av (Tish’ah be-Av, Wednesday night and Thursday, July 29^th-30^th), many Jews abstain from wine and meat, weddings, haircuts, and musical entertainment.

Our Conservative practice is not to eat meat between Rosh Hodesh Av (our last chance to enjoy a Temple Barbeque together) and Tish’ah be-Av, except for Friday night and Saturday.

Each fast day commemorates multiple tragedies that befell our people some time between the days of Moses and our own generation. It is entirely possible to see all of Judaism as a lachrymose history, limping from one catastrophe to another.

One Siddur that I cataloged recently impressed me with readings not only for AIDS day & MLK day, and the eve of life-changing surgery, but also for approaching the Huppah, July 4, retirement, Thanksgiving and welcoming a new child.

Rabbi Bezalel Majersdorf, a Hasid who works beside me in Manhattan, could not believe I found another book interesting that I was cataloging. “Calendar of Lubavitch ritual customs? It’s just the same as the Luah we cataloged a year ago and five years ago. Why bother?”

But the Lubavitcher Hasidim, with whom I do not often agree, have in their summer calendar one date after another to celebrate: That Rebbe was released from prison. This Rebbe and his wife arrived in America. Habad Hasdidim experienced the same history as other Jews, and they observe strictly the fast days that most of us ignore, but they manage to accentuate the positive, and celebrate as often as possible.

The First and Second Temples in Jerusalem were destroyed. Our people did suffer millennia in exile. We were decimated in Crusades and pogroms and Shoah. All those painful losses are true and important. We dare not forget them. But we need not make them the sole focus of our Jewish identity. We achieved enough triumphs in Israel and America and throughout the world to celebrate. Our people earned enough Fulbright and Medals of Honor and MVP and Nobel and Olympic medals   and other world-class prizes to fill us with pride and joy at being Jews.

 I hope to see you at our dramatic and moving services for Yom ha-Shoah and Israel’s Memorial Day, for 17 Tammuz and Tishah be-Av, four times a year when we recite Yizkor and throughout our High Holiday season beginning with Saturday night Selihot, but I also hope to see you throughout Sukkot and Simhat Torah, every Friday night and every Shabbat morning, and all the many happy days of the year ahead.