From My desk 2026-08

On being happy and being sad in American culture, summer is usually associated with fun, relaxation, and an attitude of taking it easy. Nat King Cole, the fine singer of the 20th century, recorded several songs about summer, including an album called Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy days of Summer. Many of us can remember spending summer days near lakes, or in summer camps. In America, at least in more prosperous suburbs, children fared quite well, and adults found ways to stay cool.

In inner cities, however, conditions were usually a lot less favorable. In crowded tenements and slums, people sweltered and wrapped cool rags around their heads and necks. Sometimes, fire departments would send out a spare fire truck, and firefighters would turn on streetside water pumps equipped with sprayer heads, so that adults and children who came around could wash off the sweat and grime of the city, and cool down in the process. But, there were many times where the heat drove inner-city people to become quite “touchy” and easily angered. According to one study published in March 2025 by the Journal of Urban Health, higher outdoor temperatures are associated with greater incidence of firearm violence in urban areas in the United States.

We can see that, depending on where you live, and depending on your set of values, summer can be either a wonderful time of year, or a dreadful time.

It’s noteworthy that, for Jews, too, summer can be delightful, and a great time to learn Torah. Hence, the rise of so many Jewish and Israel- centered summer camps over the decades, which cater to Jewish children and adults. I spent many seasons at a summer camp which focused on learning about Israel, Judaism, and the Hebrew language. Every moment -from swim sessions to ball games to dining room meals - we spoke entirely in Hebrew! After two months, I came home fairly fluent in the language, as did the other hundreds of campers and staff who participated. And, for several years, I served as camp rabbi of a federation camp in the Berkshire mountains, which had a separate program for older adults. They had many opportunities to learn more about Jewish ideas and history, if they wished to do so. Summer in such an environment is so refreshing! And several studies have shown that a Jewish summer camp that offers Hebrew language and religious experience is worth more than 10 months of Hebrew school.

However, summer also carries with it “the 3 weeks”. This time -from the 17th of Tammuz until the 9th of Av - Jews have marked as inauspicious. Historically, they have been the time when many tragedies befell our people; most notably, the destruction of both temples, and, originally, the traditional date when Moses came down Mount Sinai, witnessed the Jewish people worshipping a golden calf, and smashed the original tablets of the commandments. Students of history will discover that several more tragedies happened over the years during this turbulent time period. As a result, the Jewish world has observed a public sense of mourning and wariness. Jewish weddings are rarely held during this time, and some will refrain from eating meat and purchasing anything new (signs of wealth) during the last 9 days of this period, as we enter the month of Av. This part of the summer is, from a Jewish point of view, not much fun.

But, perhaps we can learn a lesson from this. Certainly, we all look forward to happy, glorious times that make joyful memories that can last for a lifetime. Judaism is all in favor of that. “Ivdu et ha-Shem B’simcha”, writes the Psalmist: “Serve God with happiness.” But, our sages were suspicious of allowing happiness to run wild. Sometimes, we have to recognize that life holds sadness and disappointment. Avoiding sadness at all costs, refraining from joining with people in their pain, may lead to equally bad consequences. Extreme Hedonism leads to health risks, shallow relationships and ever harder-to-reach levels of genuine happiness. Short periods of sadness and restraint keep us grounded.

This summer, we may want to keep this in mind. Each year brings its share of happiness and sorrows. Our prayer should be that when sadness comes, we gather our physical and mental resources to deal effectively with it. And may our joys far outnumber our sorrows, and allow us to serve God with happiness to the fullest extent possible.