So, what is true happiness or Simcha? Chazal say that anyone who has not seen a Simchas Beis Hashoaiva, has not witnessed true happiness. The question is, how could Chazal make such a statement if a given situation doesn't always dictate happiness?

Let me digress. Growing up with a special needs sister then working among this special group of human beings for fifteen years, I have come to appreciate the soul of a special needs individual. Many times their happiness, or lack of it, seems to coincide with whether or not they’re getting what they want. Often a special needs individual can plateau at the stage of early childhood where selfishness is a built-in character trait, and when they do not get what they want, they inevitably get upset. But after getting to know their inner beauty, what makes them truly happy, is not circumstantial at all, nor is it reliant upon getting what they want when they want it. For these special members of society, it’s certainly not about whether the situation is fun or exciting. For instance, we might see that many special needs individuals do not want to participate in what might be considered the most “awesome Purim carnival ever” simply because the organizers who devoted weeks of preparations thought so. What makes the special needs individual happy, in the real essence of the word, is community. People. Relationships. Connection.

In Seeach Sod, an organization in Jerusalem that caters to nearly 1000 individuals with special needs, I witness this daily as a staff member. When we have tours for guests the visit always ends with music and dancing along with members of Seeach Sod. I have looked into their faces when they are holding a stranger's hand and dancing; they are happy. I have seen them run up to a Jewish celebrity visiting our premises, a mere stranger to them, and their smiles shine from inner excitement. I have seen them holding hands, walking down the street on the way to the local supermarket for a life-skills training class, and what makes them happy is the holding of hands. Special needs people really strip the notion of happiness as being a circumstantial happenstance, and reveal to us that happiness, true happiness, is about not feeling alone. Being a part of something, whether it's their class, their group-home, their vocational setting, their family, their shul, their community, or our nation, is what makes them glow.

This is my understanding of Chazal’s meaning. They're not simply saying “Go to a great party where there is live music and lots of food and you're guaranteed a grand time.” They are saying that true happiness, true gaiety, stems from connection. Holding hands with someone, dancing with one another while feeling that each individual is part of a greater whole.

Seeach Sod, which is nearing its 45th year in providing educational and rehabilitative services to the religious special needs community in Jerusalem, hosts an annual Simchas Beis Hashoaiva open to the community at large. Participating, or even just watching the festivities brings about true Simcha.  You’ll see the camaraderie among the men of all ages dancing together with special needs persons, women and children watching on the rooftops with the backdrop of a beautiful Jerusalem skyline, and lively music all around them. This is what Chazal had in mind. Unification. Anyone who wants to experience true happiness on Sukkos is invited to see and feel it through the eyes of special needs persons as they dance away the night with love and happiness in their hearts at Seeach Sod’s Simchas Bais Hashoaiva!