בס”ד
Happiness in the service of Hashem
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Biblical Sources
- “Because you didn’t serve Hashem, your Lo-rd, with happiness and a good heart in bounty” (Devarim 28:47)
- “Serve Hashem with happiness” (Tehilim 100:2)
- “Praise I the happiness” (Kohelet 8:15)
Rabbinical Sources
- Talmud Shabat 30b
– “Praise I the happiness” – Happiness of Mitzvah - Rambam (Laws of Lulav 8:15)
– The happiness that a person has when fulfilling Hashem commandments and the love that he commanded is a great service to Hashem. - Rabeinu Bechaie (Devarim 28:47)
– The person has to have happiness when observing the commandments, and the happiness itself is a commandment in itself, in addition to the reward for the commandment, there’s reward for the happiness. - Maguid Mishna (Laws of Lulav 8:15)
– The main thing is that the person should not observe the commandments because they are an obligation and he has to do them, rather he should do them with happiness.
Why is it so important? Sefer HaIkrim (3:33)
● That which gives fullness to the precept to achieve the desired objective is joy…
- Action with joy V → Virtue
- Action with sadness → Defect
- Could Hashem punish for not serving with Joy? It makes no sense… Because we would be exempt from serving Him if we do not have joy… So, joy gives fulfillment to observance
- But… service to Hashem must be with fear… or joy?
- If a person fears that which he should not or does not fear that which he should fear, he is spiritually “sick.” When a person fears Hashem, he will rejoice in the fact that he is full in his service to Hashem (“healthy” spiritually speaking)
- When a person understands the greatness of Hashem, he will fear Him (recognizing his own lowliness) and will rejoice in fear itself, because he distinguished that which he should truly fear. This indicates fullness in the soul and full service to Hashem.
Depression leads to NOT serving Hashem
- Sometimes the evil inclination misleads you by telling you that you transgressed a grave prohibition, when it is just a way of being strict (chumra) or you did not transgress at all, with the sole intention of making you depressed and not serving Hashem anymore.
- I will serve Hashem with joy, because the great rule is that my service to Hashem is only to bring satisfaction to Him. So, even if I was not strict or sinned, I will not stop serving Hashem.
A little deeper…
● “And they will draw water with joy, from the springs of salvation” (Ishaiah 12:3)
- – Every day: wine was poured on the altar
- – Sukkot: water was also poured on the altar
● Whoever did not see the joy of drawing water (on Sukkot), never saw joy in his life (Talmud Sukkah 5a)
Wine vs. Water
● Wine: has taste
– Represents understanding. Generates joy.
● Water: has no taste
– Represents something irrational. Generates joy?
● Source of joy
– Intellect, understanding
● — Limited to what the person understands
– Essence, connection
● — Unlimited…
● If joy is limited to personal achievements, because you will always lack something, then you will never have full joy.
● True joy is not in personal achievements, but in the very fact of being able to fulfill Hashem’s will.
What’s the Problem?
● “The Lord made man upright, and they sought out many calculations” (Kohelet 7:29)
– Joy is a natural (right) quality in human beings
● – –The problem is the “calculations” that each person makes:
● – –I should have/know this or that
– The other has/knows more
– “Strange” demands and interests confuse the true values of life and generate depression
How Do I Solve It?
● The path to achieving joy is nullification of Hashem (bitul).
● “And the humble shall add joy to Hashem” (Ishaiah 29:19)
– Joy: expansion, feeling, excitement
– Humility: contraction, detachment from oneself, calm
● When one recognizes the truth, one is truly happy.
– Everything you have (personal qualities and possessions) is not yours nor deserved
– Stop feeling yourself
By Rabbi Tuvia Serber
More shiurim of Rabbi Tuvia Serber
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