It’s a little strange to manage a blog about simcha (Jewish joy) in the aftermath of a devastating terror attack. What is the appropriate response the day after the massacre that took the lives of five Israelis at a synagogue in Jerusalem’s Har Nof neighborhood yesterday?

My immediate response was to wake up and pray this morning. To wrap myself in my tallit and bind myself with tefillin, just as the victims had done shortly before they were massacred (it’s important to note that one police officer was also killed and others were wounded).

In addition to expressing solidarity with the victims and their families, prayer is a way for us to ask HaShem why evil is sometimes allowed to flourish, to ask for protection and peace, and to request salvation.

For the Jewish people, tefillah (prayer) is our great hope. It is what our leaders have turned to during our nation’s time of utmost challenge and despair because they know that it is the most powerful device we have.

– Praying with Fire 2 by Rabbi Heshy Kleinman (page 36)

Certainly it is appropriate to feel sadness when our fellow Jews and Israelis are brutally cut down during worship. But rereading a passage from radio talk show host and author Dennis Prager’s book, Happiness is a Serious Problem, reminded me that sinking into depression gives terrorists another victory.

First, instead of allowing the world’s evil to prevent me from being happy – which would only give evil another victory – I have chosen to fight it to the best of my abilities. I feel that this gives me ‘permission’ to be happy. If I have made a difference in some people’s lives by enabling them to enjoy some happiness…I feel free to be happy.

Second, happiness is important to doing good.

– Happiness is a Serious Problem by Dennis Prager (page 73)

Obviously the memory of this attack is going to stay with us for a long time (and the families who were directly affected will never be the same). And unfortunately, it seems likely that there will be more attacks. All of us should try to do our part to fight this evil, as Dennis Prager advocates in his quote above. The State of Israel of course needs to formulate strategies to improve security and take proactive measures. On an individual level, we must also try our best to stay happy and help others. Chabad’s response to the terror attack yesterday was positive:

These are trying times, but the Jewish people have proven to be very resilient and we have outlasted many others who wished us dead – and we never let our enemies take away our simcha.

Photo credits: Israel’s Government Press Office (GPO) and Chabad.org