What does Judaism actually teach about happiness, joy, and being happy? Do we have to feel happy all the time? What is simcha in Jewish tradition, and is happiness really a feeling, or something deeper?

In this episode of A Soul Grows in Israel, I explore the Jewish understanding of happiness and joy, and what Jewish spirituality, Torah, Chassidut, and Jewish tradition have to say about living with joy even when life is difficult.

But I also ask a question that can feel much more uncomfortable: Is there room for doubt in Judaism?

Can you have faith in God and still have questions? Can you believe and doubt at the same time? What happens when our spiritual lives don't match the certainty we think we're supposed to have?

We explore faith, doubt, God, happiness, Jewish spirituality, simcha, spiritual struggle, and authentic religious life, asking whether perhaps the goal isn't to always feel happy or certain, but to develop a deeper relationship with God and with ourselves.

If you've ever wondered “Why am I not happy?” “Does Judaism require me to be happy?” “What is true happiness?” or “Can I be religious and still have doubts?”, this conversation is for you.

Topics: Happiness in Judaism, Jewish spirituality, simcha, faith and doubt, questioning God, Jewish tradition, Chassidut, Torah, spirituality, authentic Judaism, and finding meaning in difficult times.

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What makes a software engineer walk away from a career in tech to study Kabbalah and Jewish mysticism? Michael Macks did exactly that, trading the certainty of code for the depths of Torah and a new life in Israel.

In this conversation, Michael traces the road from a tech career to teaching Jewish spirituality, and what he found when he started asking the questions that software could not answer. We talk about what Kabbalah actually is beneath the mystique, why the move to Israel was inseparable from the inner journey, and how the wisdom of Jewish mysticism translates into a practical way of living rather than abstract theory. It is a story about leaving one kind of certainty to find another, and about what the ancient tradition still has to say to a very modern seeker.

In this episode:

• Why Michael left a career in tech, and the questions that pulled him toward Kabbalah
• What Jewish mysticism really is, past the popular image of it
• How the move to Israel became part of the spiritual path, not just a change of address
• Turning mystical wisdom into daily practice rather than theory
• What the tradition offers anyone feeling the pull toward something deeper

Michael Macks is a teacher and author of Jewish spirituality who traded a career in tech for a life of learning and teaching in Israel. He is the author of Practical Spiritual Tidbits: 365 Torah Insights to Awaken Your Mind and Heart and hosts a podcast of the same name, where he explores the spiritual architecture of the universe through Kabbalah and Torah sources. He is currently at work on a new book on how the mitzvot build a living connection with the Divine.

📖 Read Michael's book, Practical Spiritual Tidbits, on Amazon
🎧 Follow his podcast, Practical Spiritual Tidbits, on Spotify and Apple Podcasts
📱 Find Michael on Instagram @michaelmacks

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#Kabbalah #JewishMysticism #Torah #Judaism #Spirituality #Israel #Aliyah #MichaelMacks #JewishWisdom #Mysticism #Chassidus #TorahStudy #JewishPodcast

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Marrying off a child cracks something open. In the middle of the joy there's a quieter truth: you are being asked to let go. This episode is about that, and about what ancient Jewish wisdom teaches all of us about moving through the transitions we never feel ready for.

The wedding is the doorway, but the subject is bigger than any one simcha. Every life is a series of thresholds we have to cross with open hands: children growing up and leaving, seasons ending, roles we held tightly slipping into something new. Drawing on Torah, the prayers, and generations of Jewish teaching, we look at why letting go is a skill rather than a weakness, how perspective changes everything about a transition, and the real power we hold even in the moments that feel entirely out of our control. Whether or not you're standing under a chuppah anytime soon, these are lessons for anyone facing change.

In this episode:

• Why letting go is something we learn, not something we're born knowing
• What marrying off a child reveals about every transition we face
• How the prayers reframe our sense of control and surrender
• The power that stays in our hands even when everything is shifting
• Finding perspective in the thresholds we never felt ready to cross

However life is asking you to grow right now, may you cross the threshold with steadier hands.

🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts
🔔 Subscribe for more conversations on Jewish wisdom, Torah, and the inner life

#JewishWisdom #LettingGo #Torah #Transitions #Judaism #Spirituality #Prayer #LifeLessons #Simcha #Growth #JewishThought #Perspective

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https://linktr.ee/asoulgrowsinisraelpodcast