In this week’s parsha, Beshalach, the sea has just split. The people have crossed. The danger has finally passed. And suddenly, the Torah tells us:

Miriam takes out her drums. And the women follow her, dancing.

It’s a beautiful moment. And it’s also…confusing?

How did Miriam have drums with her? They left Egypt in a rush so urgent they didn’t even have time for their bread to rise. They fled with almost nothing. So where did they get musical instruments in the middle of the desert?

Rashi fills in the gap. He explains that Miriam didn’t find the drums after the miracle. She packed them before it happened. She carried them out of Egypt because she was certain redemption would come. And she prepared for joy in advance.

Miriam believed so deeply that liberation was possible that she made space for celebration – in a moment of extreme uncertainty, before she knew how the story would end.

That kind of faith feels especially relevant right now. We are living in heavy, scary times. And we shouldn’t ignore or minimize that. And still, the Torah reminds us of something powerful: we don’t need to wait until everything is fixed to make room for joy. We can carry it with us.

It’s not a coincidence that JQY’s logo looks like the word JOY. Sometimes people even think our organization’s name *is* JOY. That’s intentional. Joy is not a distraction from the work. It’s part of how we survive it.

Joy is something you pack on purpose. Like Chapstick, an umbrella, or the one thing you always keep in your bag because you know you’ll need it. Kind of like a Mary Poppins bag – always holding exactly what’s required for the moment ahead.

At JQY, we believe in packing joy even when the journey is uncertain. *Especially* then. Because joy isn’t about pretending everything is okay. It’s about believing that one day, there will be dancing – and making sure you’re ready when that moment comes.

Like Miriam, let’s carry our joy with us, just in case.