Spiritual Happiness
Years ago I sent an ebook I co-authored, “Four Dimensional Flourishing,” to Dr. Martin Seligman, a founder of Positive Psychology. I was extremely happy when he replied, “Check out PERMA and the relation of M to spiritual flourishing.”
Dr. Seligman distinguishes happy moments, like receiving that email, from flourishing. In his secular model, religion can be one route to Meaning, the M in PERMA. Jewish thought takes that idea further: spiritual happiness comes from becoming more complete, “shleimus” in Hebrew, through closeness to G-d.
On Yom Kippur, not eating is a mitzvah. We step back from physical pleasure and engage in spiritual return. The body serves G-d through restraint.
Five days later, on Succos, the Festival of Booths, eating in the succah is a mitzvah. The same body serves G-d through eating. Jewish law includes meat and wine in festival rejoicing.
We sit under its flimsy roof, eating and drinking before G-d in happiness. The person, the food, and the succah are all brought into His presence.
If I answered Dr. Seligman today, I would write: Spiritual flourishing does not require escaping the physical. It requires putting the physical in G-d’s service. On Yom Kippur, through fasting. On Succos, through eating before Him in happiness.
