Parashah Vayigash December 26, 2014: After Joseph reveals himself to his brothers and they return to their father to tell him that Joseph is not only alive but the vice-Regent of Egypt, the Torah says, "... Jacob's spirit revived." But the Onkolos Targum (1st-2nd century c.e.) translates, "... the prophetic spirit rested upon Jacob their father." And Rashi (11th century) comments, "The presence of God (Shekhinah) that had departed from him came to rest upon him." The Avot D'Rabbi Natan (2nd - 3rd century c.e.) comments, "The Holy Spirit that had departed from him rested upon him at that time." The Torah Temima, quoting Maimonides Shemoneh P'rakim (Eight Chapters, chapter 7, 12th century) "explains the matter of the withdrawal of prophecy from Jacob during the time of his mourning [at the reported death of Joseph 20 years earlier] according to what is written in B. Shabbat 30b 'prophecy only occurs in times of simcha (joy),' and now it has returned to him [Jacob]."
American Jewry went into deep mourning subsequent to the Holocaust, and a reactive phase of protecting the new Jewish State of Israel from 1948 until 2 years after the Six Day War (1969). At the General Assembly of Federations in 1969 a group of rebellious college students demanded more of a focus on essential issues in the United States, like education. With the rise of interfaith marriage statistics in the 1980s and through today, it seems that Jews and Judaism persistently focus on calamity as the motivator of religious zeal. But we see in this parashah and the Talmud that God's spirit only rests on those who experience joy.
Jacob had descended into a two decade grieving over the loss of his favorite son. He failed to embrace life, and as a result prophecy left him. Perhaps the American Jewish community needs to learn the lesson of the Torah, Talmud, Maimonides, and Chabad: that we cannot motivate a creative, responsive Judaism in grief and calamity. Rather, Judaism must concern itself primarily with the joy of living, and seeing God's presence in that joy.
Jewish life can no longer focus on "They persecuted us; we won; let's eat." Instead, the spirituality of the everyday, the joys of each moment given to breathe, love, give, experience friendship, exercise, raise others' spirits, etc must be the focus of our prayers and our spirituality. No creative religious tradition can focus primarily on the negatives in life and expect to remain both vital and popular. Particularly among America's Jews, that have so much to celebrate, the presence of God in the daily happiness of living should be our primary concern. Practice spreading joy, and thanking God in each happy moment. Then let us find the joy not only in the moments of revival, like Jacob, but in the less obvious moments of worry. For life itself is a blessing, and every new day an opportunity to become a blessing in others' lives.