Be Happy!

Tuesday, July 24, 2012


There have always been and always will be stunning fashion editorials and advertisements. But rarely do we see one the doesn't evoke the shock value of striking immodesty or intense and many times, negative emotion. As soon as I saw this Fall 2012 ad compaign from Dolce & Gabbana, two things struck me: First, the completely modest styling of the ad and the clothing reminicent of old fashioned family gatherings. And second, the simple and clear element of joy and happiness.

Right now we're in the middle of 'the 9 days'. For those of you who are not familiar with Jewish customs, the 9 days are a time of mourning and often tragedy for the Jewish people. These 9 days lead up to T'sha B'av, the saddest day of the year for us. On this day both of our Temples were destroyed and many other tragedies befell our people throughout history.

So you may wonder why am I doing a post about being happy during this time? I'll share with you what I learned on July 21, exactly 11 years ago, which happend to be  the first day of the 9 days that year, and also the day my youngest daughter was born.

It was Shabbos morning when I went into, at first, a very mild labor. My husband went to get his friend to drive me to the hospital and insisted he take a few minutes to first have a taste of my cholent which was a special treat for him being that he isn't Jewish. By the time he finished his plate, the labor was coming fast and furious. To this day, when Simi decides she wants something, there's no stopping her; and she was ready to make her appearance in the world.

Just a few hours later my beautiful baby girl was born and my husband decided to walk home and name her at mincha (evening prayers) on that same Shabbos. We knew we were naming her Rivka after his grandmother who's full name was Rivka Rochel but we couldn't use the Rochel part because that's my middle name. So we decided we wanted to add a second name to replace the Rochel.

Flashback a few hours before, my husband had been telling my family about what his Rabbi had been talking about that morning in shul. It was the first day of the 9 days and his message was that the reason these times are full of sadness and difficulty all stems from our petty fighting, jealousy and discord. And if we would all get along and love each other...try to be truly happy for our friends' successes and overlook our own selfishness, this time of sadness would end and turn into a time of true rejoicing. Easier said than done, right? So how do we achieve this state of harmony? The simple answer is if we were all grateful and truly HAPPY with what we had, we would have no need for petty jealousy and discord. We would naturally be happy for others and know that what we have is exactly what we need at this very moment.

So it was clear to both of us that the second name we would give our daughter would  be "Simcha" which means happiness in hebrew. And that's why we call her Simi.

Leave it to me to use a Dolce & Gabbana ad to portray a message for these 9 days...you know me...if I can find a positive message in fashion, I'm going be the first to write about it!

Happy birthday to my three beautiful July girls: Sara, Aleeza and Simi.

May we only share good news and happy times!!

xo
Sharon

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19 comments

  1. beautiful message! thanks Sharon!

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  2. Beautiful Post! Loved it ;) What a sweet message.

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  3. Loved this post - totally you to see the bright side of things :) Fabulous!

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  4. That was a beautiful story abt simis birth. The 9 days do reflect on working on our middos& to only have good feelings towards others&to want only the best for klal yiroel. May our "mourning" turn into "simcha"!

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  5. Great post! I love that ad too.

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  6. That is such a beautiful ad from D&G,
    made more meaningful by your story and information... Great post.

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  7. A great message from a fashion ad!! I love learning about Jewish customs and traditions from your blog, they're really interesting! Another thing I like about the ad is that they've included people of all ages, kids, seniors.. and like you said, everyone really seems to be enjoying themselves!!

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  8. Fantastic post Sharon! I really enjoyed it. The story, the message, and the Dolce Gabbana ad :-)

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  9. Just beautiful...I really loved this and learning too :)) What a joy and your husband is truly right as well!! We need more of that!! Happy Birthday to your three beauties xxx

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  10. Wow!One great post and message.Happy Birthday Sim.

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  11. looooove the ad. and the post.

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  12. Great post! I love the D&G adds they brings such a sense of happiness every time that I look at them! They keep getting better each season.
    xo
    Alison

    heartofgoldandluxury.blogspot.com

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  13. I agree with you! And Dolce and Gabbana campaign is really an happiness hymn! ;D

    Kisses,

    Benedetta

    www.daddysneatness.blogspot.com

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  14. I love this story. How could your Daughter be anything but happy with a wonderful and loving family like yours.

    ..... and great D & G ad!

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  15. Oh my this is a very lovely post Sharon & it's nice of you to share with us this wonderful moment!!

    Rebecca
    www.redtagchiclosangeles.com

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  16. Sharon, that's a beautiful story! Thanks for sharing the birth of your daughter and how she received her name. I'm always looking for stories in fashion.
    http://www.averysweetblog.com/

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  17. I agree with you Sharon...you put the message across beautifully as do D&G.
    Enjoy the week ;-)
    Catherine
    www.cashmerelover.com

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  18. Beautiful clothes and wonderful (happy!) post :)
    Leslie

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