Doron Kornbluth

Is the news getting you down? Are you in a rut? Or just feeling low? We’ve all been there. How does a person “turn that frown upside-down?” There are a bunch of things that usually help. Exercise. A good night’s sleep. Connecting with a friend. All of these – and many more – are solid suggestions. But sometimes, a person may need an extra pick-me-up. Take me, for instance. A few weeks ago, I was feeling … shall we say … “low-energy.” I hadn’t had a break in a long, long time.

According to a growing body of research, our brains have a chemical, physical, and psychological need for unity. And this, I believe, explains a lot. It helps explain why certain activities — even without physical pleasure — feel deeply satisfying. In her book, Good Chemistry, Dr. Julie Holland writes: Because we’re pharmacologically hardwired to be selfless, not selfish, the same areas of the brain that light up when we enjoy eating food also fire when we’re being altruistic.

Did you notice that when news of the murder of Chabad emissary Rabbi Zvi Kogan in the UAE broke, the Jewish world was not even surprised that there is Chabad in the UAE? We all act as if an Israeli-Moldovan chassidic Jew moving to the Persian Gulf to serve other Jews is the most natural thing in the world. Indeed, Chabad is everywhere, and at this point, we kind of expect them to be.