Jews around the world recently finished reading the last Torah portion of the year. So what do we do now? Rest for a while? Find another book, maybe? Go fishing?

NO! We begin reading Bereshit, the first Torah portion of the year this Shabbat (actually, we already started reading it on the Simchat Torah holiday).

This practice of immediately starting again is one of Judaism’s deepest spiritual teachings: there is no end goal, so we should love the process. Unlike some other religions, Jews don’t strive for a nirvana-like state where they stop striving and working hard.

This Shabbat, even the greatest, most learned scholars who have studied Bereshit 1,00,001 times will sit down in shul/beit knesset and study it again. And they’ll likely pick up a new insight or teach their students a different way of looking at it — because they love the process.

Although I understand the importance of loving the process intellectually, it’s sometimes so difficult to put into practice. Especially when it comes to simcha (Jewish joy), it’s so easy to say, “I’ll be happy when…”

I’ll be happy when I lose weight. I’ll be happy when I get in shape. I’ll be happy when I learn fluent Hebrew. I’ll be happy when I know some Torah. 

I’ve mentally thought all of those things, thousands of times! Intellectually I know they probably aren’t true, because most times a person’s level of happiness isn’t connected to achievements or status. It’s mostly determined by the quality of relationships, level of gratitude and sense of purpose.

And in order for that sense of purpose to be a lifelong pursuit, we must learn to love the process. To enjoy studying the Torah more than we enjoy finishing our studies. To value a healthy lifestyle more than momentarily seeing a certain number on the scale.

May this Shabbat remind us all to stop seeking the path to simcha, and instead to seek the simcha that happens along the path!