During this unique holiday season, the Courier is reaching out to prominent community leaders of different faiths for words of inspiration. We begin the series with Steve Leder, Senior Rabbi of Wilshire Boulevard Temple. His Shabbat message from Nov. 20 on the theme of Thanksgiving and happiness is adapted here.
Please do not wish me a happy Thanksgiving holiday. First of all, no Jew should ever wish another Jew a happy anything because happiness does not make us happy. As I often like to say, “A sad Jew is a happy Jew.” There are plenty more jokes about Jews and happiness. Like the Jewish pessimist who says, “Things couldn’t be worse.” To which the Jewish optimist replies, “Of course they could!” And my all-time favorite about the waiter who approaches a table of four Jews out for dinner and asks, “Excuse me folks. Is anything all right?”
