They forget, for a while, everything that causes them to be angry, sad, discouraged, or disappointed.
“Because you did not serve Hashem, your G-d, amid joy and goodness of heart, when everything was abundant.” (28:47)
“Can it be?” people ask. “Can it be that all the evil we suffer, Rachmana l’tzlan, is because we do not serve Hashem with joy? (Bircas Mordecai, by Rabbi Baruch Mordechai Ezrachi)
We are prepared to do almost anything. To bake and cook and prepare wonderful holiday meals. To dress the platoon of children, from the kippahs on their heads to the toes of their socks, and to try not to spend in excess of our budgets. To keep the house more or less clean and organized — at least for Shabbos. To go out to work, and at the same time keep up with the housework, and still give our family members enough attention, and cook and clean some more … But then, on top of all that, we’re expected to be happy??
Happiness is not an added benefit of life, or a secret spice saved for special occasions. Happiness is a basic obligation of Judaism.
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