Yismechu ha’Shomayim v’sageil ha’aretz
The Heaven will rejoice and the earth will be glad.
The Gaon, zl, m’Vilna distinguishes between two expressions of joy: simchah and gilah. Simchah is an expression of intense emotion upon encountering something new. The heavens represent the spiritual sphere – a sphere which is constantly rejuvenated and refreshed. Thus, simchah is used with regard to the Heavens whose joy is boundless and constantly renewing itself. Gilah is a term which denotes happiness, evoked by an established and familiar entity. The earth, consisting of the physical and material world, is the same world that Hashem created during the Six Days of Creation. Thus, gilah is a suitable term to be aligned with the earth. Based upon the Gaon’s exposition of simchah, we may understand why simchah is associated with marriage: simchas chasan v’kallah; a new sheleimus, perfection; a complete unit is coming into being. What a simchah this is!
