Essence of the Simcha - Poem

Usually I don't post or share much about my personal life, however this time there is exception.

Last week Thursday evening, my family and I, along with many members of our community, came together as we all celebrated the engagement of my sister. The whole Lechaim was such a beautiful, heartwarming occasion, as people came from near and far to share in our simcha and give their blessings and presence to us.

Some people asked me afterwards if due to the simcha, I would write and share a poem about it. As it was extremely late on in the week, as well as close to 1am when the Lechaim ended, there was not that much time to scramble and put together something. I felt that, yes, while I could theoretically write something rather quickly I wanted to work with the occasion, so to speak, follow the feelings of joy, happiness and excitement as they help to drive my thoughts towards an idea that I could connect to and write about it then.

Well, earlier this week, the idea did indeed come and I here sharing it with you now.

Titled "Essence of the Simcha", the poem takes you on a journey as you connect and recognize different stages of a Simcha, and than it pauses and helps you understand and connect with the true meaning, the heart, the soul, of what a Simcha is, what it means.

I hope you enjoy the poem!

May you all be blessed with a celebratory, joyous and healthy, life-filled year, and may Klal Yisrael be blessed to celebrated B'Karov Mamash, the real true Simcha, of the Geula Sheleima!

All the very best,

Your friend,

Yitzy Schweitzer

To read the poem along with me via the newly-established recording segment, click here to access the audio file
The Essence of the Simcha - Poem Recording

The Essence of the Simcha - Poem

The word spreads like wildfire around the town,
There is a simcha in the close-knit, beautiful community,
Everyone makes their way to the house,
To share in and enhance the occasion, with collective, communal unity.

The party is all on,
The food and drink, the snacks and beverages are in full flow,
As the Baalei Simcha stand in the middle,
Their souls burning with love, their faces aglow.

Everyone has come on this night,
To celebrate an occasion so beautiful and momentous,
Shehechiyanu - how grateful we are, Hashem,
That with this time, with this moment, you have blessed us!

People keep on comin’,
The door remains open and inviting,
For the crowd is only becoming greater,
And the blessings of goodwill show no sign of retiring.

But in all the uplifting and glorious, unparalleled joy,
In all the drinks and crowds, and all the food to eat,
The true meaning of a Simcha has not been forgotten,
In fact its center stage, on it, the spotlight we keep.

The true meaning of a simcha, is but the achdus and unity,
It's about sharing one's joy with his fellow man,
It's about revealing and sharing in His blessings for you,
It's about spreading happiness to every person that you can.

The food is a nice touch, so are the drinks,
But the spirituality is still present and oh, so central to this,
The blessings people give, the fact that they have come,
Is something so beautiful that the Schechnah cannot miss it!

So beyond the food and drinks,
Sure, eat and drink to your hearts content,
But remember to share the joy with the host,
Share in the moment with your dear, beloved friend.

Recognize as your do so,
The true meaning of a Simcha, of a happy and celebratory occasion,
Its the blessings, the goodwill, and its a moment of Hashem's kindness,
As His Divine presence blesses you, with eternal happiness and unbelievable jubilation.