Joy is Shared

“Joy in the Hebrew Bible is essentially shared. It is a phenomenon of “We.” A husband must make his wife rejoice (Deut. 24:5). Festivals are to be occasions of collective rejoicing, “you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, the Levites in your towns, and the strangers, the fatherless and the widows living among you” (Deut. 16:11). Bringing first fruits to the Temple involved collective celebration: “You and the Levites and the strangers in your midst shall rejoice in all the good things the Lord your God has given to you and your household” (Deut. 26:11). Joy is happiness shared.”

Morality, p. 115