שִׂמְחָה

Joy

sim-KHAH

Artwork of Israel and Hebrew Letters

"Aleph Before Creation" by Dov Laimon Fine Art Print (Canvas Giclée/Fine Art Paper)

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Meanings

JoyHappinessCelebration

About “Joy” in Hebrew

Simcha refers to both the emotion of joy and the celebration that occasions it—weddings, bar mitzvahs, and births are all called simchot (plural). Judaism considers joy a religious value; the Talmud states that the Divine Presence rests only upon one who is joyful. The phrase 'mitzvah gedolah lihyot b'simcha'—it is a great mitzvah to always be happy—is a well-known teaching.

Example

הַשִׂמְחָה הִיא בַּדְּבָרִים הַקְּטַנִּים.

Joy is in the little things.

Gematria of “Joy” (שמחה)

In Hebrew numerology (gematria), each letter has a numerical value. The word שמחה (sim-KHAH) has a gematria value of 353.

300ש+

40מ+

8ח+

5ה

total353

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“Joy” in the Bible

Verses from the Torah and Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) mentioning “joy”.

Deuteronomy 16:15דברים 16:15

שבעת ימים תחג ליהוה אלהיך במקום אשר יבחר יהוה כי יברכך יהוה אלהיך בכל תבואתך ובכל מעשה ידיך והיית אך שמח

You shall hold a festival for the ETERNAL your God seven days, in the place that GOD will choose; for the ETERNAL your God will bless all your crops and all your undertakings, and you shall have nothing but joy.

Deuteronomy 20:14דברים 20:14

רק הנשים והטף והבהמה וכל אשר יהיה בעיר כל שללה תבז לך ואכלת את שלל איביך אשר נתן יהוה אלהיך לך

You may, however, take as your booty the women, the children, the livestock, and everything in the town—all its spoil—and enjoy the use of the spoil of your enemy, which the ETERNAL your God gives you.

Deuteronomy 26:11דברים 26:11

ושמחת בכל הטוב אשר נתן לך יהוה אלהיך ולביתך אתה והלוי והגר אשר בקרבך

And you shall enjoy, together with the Levite and the stranger in your midst, all the bounty that the ETERNAL your God has bestowed upon you and your household.

English translation: THE JPS TANAKH, Revised Edition (2023) © Jewish Publication Society, via Sefaria. CC BY-NC 4.0

This word starts with the Hebrew letter shin.