The obligation of simchas Yom Tov, rejoicing on the holidays, is described by the Alter Rebbe:
For all seven days of Pesach, eight days of Sukkos, and the holiday of Shavuos, a person is obligated to be happy and in good spirits—he, his children, his wife, the members of his household and all who depend on him. This rejoicing is a positive commandment in the Torah, as it is written, “You shall rejoice in your festival.” How are they caused to rejoice? To children, one gives roasted kernels and nuts; for women, one buys clothes and jewelry according to his means; men, in the times of the Beis Hamikdash, they would eat the meat of the shelamim offering. Nowadays, in absence of the Beis Hamikdash, they fulfill their obligation to rejoice only by drinking wine.
The Alter Rebbe’s wording indicates that by enjoying physical treats one genuinely fulfills the mitzvah to be joyous on Yom Tov. Granted, he notes that the ideal joy for men was achieved in Temple times by eating sacrificial meat, but in its absence, drinking wine fulfills this mitzvah as well.
In contrast, the Rambam suggests that the joy we are obligated to feel on the holidays is primarily spiritual—the joy of offering and eating the shelamim sacrifice—and the physical aspects of rejoicing are merely secondary. Thus, the Rambam writes:
Even though the rejoicing mentioned here refers to the shelamim offering... included in this joy is to make himself, his children and the members of his household joyous, each one accordingly. How so? To children, one gives...
This debate between the Rambam and the Alter Rebbe mirrors the discussion surrounding the delight in Divine revelation that we will experience in the future, in the era of reward, known as Olam Haba, the World to Come. The Rambam writes that in Olam Haba “there is no body or physical form, only the souls of the righteous alone, without a body.”
The Alter Rebbe, however, follows the opinion that since the observance of the mitzvos is intended to refine and elevate even our physical bodies, the reward in Olam Haba will likewise be experienced only after the soul is restored to a physical body at the time of techiyas hameisim, the resurrection.
Accordingly, the Alter Rebbe rules that both body and soul must equally partake in the Mitzvah and experience the joy of Yom Tov.
—Likkutei Sichos, vol. 33, pp. 62–70
