Sara attended 70 Faces Media’s “Jewish Digital Summit” this week. (I highlighted 70 Faces Media in this article from last July.) One of her takeaways is that since October 7th, the Jewish community has done a great job of sharing difficult news, but we are also seeking uplifting stories—the moments of good.

“Rob, perhaps you can share something happy in your article tomorrow?”

Great timing. As it turns out, today is Rosh Chodesh Adar—the first day of the month of Adar, and the Talmud teaches “mishenichnas Adar marbim bi’simcha—when Adar enters, we increase our joy.”

In Adar, we celebrate Purim and appreciate our people being saved from destruction. My annual plug: Purim is one of my two favorite holidays. We dress in costumes and eat hamantaschen. This year the holiday is celebrated on Thursday evening, March 13 and Friday, March 14. Take your kids to synagogue. It’ll be fun. (We maintain a list of local Purim activities on our website. Disclaimer: The events included reflect those that were shared with us. We encourage you to check back for updates and additional opportunities.)

I love that Judaism recognizes our emotional needs and gently guides us through their complexities even when it is difficult. On Tisha B’Av we grieve. Sukkot is referred to as the time of our joy, and we are commanded to be “joyful in our festival.”

These past few weeks have been very challenging for the Jewish community. Being happy is difficult and something that we’re going to have to work at. Adar reminds us that we do have reasons to be happy, and we need to take the time to embrace it.