01 Feb PARSHAS TERUMAH

Simchah

In Adar, we are urged to increase our simchah. Joy can be attained in several ways. Ideally, we should be happy with our problems, because of our belief that everything is for the good. But when this level is beyond us, there certainly are several other skills people can use, to make themselves happy in Adar, and during any other month of the year. One counsel is to make the problems small. Everyone goes through some form of hardship; but it is up to each individual to decide how serious and severe he views his problems. In Mishlei (12:25), it states, “When one has a worry, make it small. A good thing, make yourself happy” (Mishlei 12:25).4 The Metzudos Dovid explains, “When a worry comes to one’s heart, make it smaller than it truly is. And it is even better when one can have the strength to be happy with the problem, by thinking that it came for your good.” The ideal situation is to be happy with the problems he has due to our awareness that everything is from Hashem and everything is for our good. However, when this level is beyond us, then the advice is make the problem small. Consider the matter to be smaller than it really is. With such an attitude, you can have happiness all the time. Joy is all in the mind. If one thinks happy thoughts, he is happy. Let’s prove this from children. Give a three-year-old a candy, and he is happy. But if this child will see another child with two candies, and he has only one, he will begin to cry. What happened? He is still holding onto the sweet candy that made him so happy a few moments ago. But now he is jealous and he isn’t happy anymore. Adults are the same way. They can have everything, but if they see that others also have it, or that others have more than them, they aren’t happy with their lot anymore. So we see that happiness is entirely based on thoughts. Even during extremely hard times, it is possible to think thoughts that will generate joy. Rebbe Mordechai of Bulguray zy”a (son of Rebbe Yissacher Dov of Belz zy”a) once saw Gerer chassidim dancing, during the holocaust. One of the Gerer Chassidim tapped him on his shoulder and said, “Hashem wants something from us. Let’s give it to Him with joy.” 6 How could they be happy, at times like that? The answer is that feelings of joy and distress are the product of the mind, and if one thinks positively, it is possible to be happy in all circumstances. Reb Gad’l Eisner related, “During the holocaust, one of my friends was beaten cruelly by a Nazi. He was bleeding and needed medical treatment. The problem was that this bachur decided that he doesn’t want to live anymore. I met him moaning and crying. I wanted to raise his spirits, so I asked him, ‘What’s all this crying about?’ “I want to die.” “Make it a quick death,” Reb Gad’l Eisner told him (in black humor). The bachur said, “The Ribono shel Olam (Master of the World) knows that I want to die.” “If you remember the Ribono shel Olam, everything is well, because He wants you to live.” “But how can I live like this?” Reb Gad’l spoke with him some more, until he desired to live once again. Reb Gad’l saved his life because soon a doctor arrived and healed him. If he would have lost interest in life, he wouldn’t have recovered. Reb Nachum Yasser zt”l’s only daughter was hospitalized. The renowned doctor of the Shaarei Tzedek hospital, Dr. Wallach, told Reb Nachum that his daughter only had a few hours to live. It was Friday morning. Reb Nachum realized that if his daughter will die, lo aleinu, he wouldn’t be permitted to go to the mikvah (because of the laws of aveilius). So he first went to the mikvah, lekvod Shabbos. Then, he opened a Shulchan Aruch and reviewed the laws of kriyah (ripping one’s clothing) and of onein (the day of the burial) so he wouldn’t err in the halachos. He was a talmid chacham so he knew how to study halachah, and he was preparing himself for the situation that he understood was soon approaching. He set out to the hospital, together with his friend, Reb Nota Tzeinwirth zt”l. (Reb Nota told this story afterwards, and that is how we know it). As they were walking, Reb Nachum remembered that he needs a knife for kriyah, so he returned home to get a knife, and then they continued to the hospital. Reb Nachum said, “Chazal say that when one recites the brachah, “Baruch Dayan Ha’Emes” (the brachah said for bad-tidings) one should say it with joy because we believe that everything is for the good. And then Reb Nachum began to dance with Reb Nota! He said, “Hashem is speaking with me. He is communicating with me. (Each situation in life – the good and the hard – is Hashem communicating with people, telling them to repent, or some other message.) This means that Hashem cares about me, and this is the greatest joy!” And they danced some more. When they arrived at the hospital, Reb Nachum said, “Now I must contain myself. My wife will have tzaar (distress) if she sees me being happy.” When they entered the hospital, Dr. Wallach ran towards them. “Reb Nachum, a miracle occurred; your daughter is out of danger. She is conscious.” Reb Nachum said to Reb Nota, “Now I can show my happiness to my wife.” Joyously he met with his wife and they rejoiced with their daughter’s recovery. Sometime later, Reb Nachum said to Reb Nota, “I will explain to you what happened. The hardships of life are a test, to see whether people believe in Hashem even in dire times. Being that I passed this test while my daughter was still alive, there wasn’t a need for her to leave this world anymore.” The Chidushei HaRim zy”a was, rachmanah litzlan, sitting shivah for one of his children. He was keeping all the halachos, but he appeared calm. He didn’t lose his composure. His wife, who was weeping copiously, couldn’t understand how her husband was taking it so lightly. She asked him, “Did you just bury a chicken?” He answered, “Heaven gives us the peckel (the castigations) but the feelings of sorrow and depression aren’t given by Hashem. This a person brings on by himself.” May Hashem save all of us from all tzaar (distress and sorrow), amen, but these stories remind us that no matter what the situation is, it is always possible to be optimistic.

Girded with Simchah

Reb Ahron HaGadol of Karlin zy’a wrote in a letter, “Atzvus (depression) isn’t a sin, but the timtum haleiv (closed heart) that atzvus generates, the greatest sin cannot create.” His grandson, the Beis Ahron (of Karlin) once saw that his son was unhappy, and he rebuked him for this. His son asked, “Why is father rebuking me specifically for this matter, and not for any other wrong things that I do?” The Beis Ahron replied, “You know by yourself when you do something wrong, and I’m certain that you will improve, even without my rebuke. But you aren’t aware how serious it is to be unhappy. That is the reason I am specifically urging and encouraging you to be besimchah (joyous).” A person who is unhappy cannot daven properly; he cannot learn well; and he is liable to become angry, have bad middos, fall into bad taavos, etc. In contrast, a happy man can feel connected to Hashem. Although being sad isn’t a sin per se, it leads to many negative things. This is the reason why tzaddikim urge people to always be happy. It is written, “Naar hayisi gam zakanti velo ra’isi tzaddik neezav — I was young, and also old, and I never saw a tzaddik forsaken” (Tehillim 37:25). The simple meaning is that Hashem never forsakes his tzaddikim. He always helps them out. The Yesod HaAvodah zy”a translates neezav (forsaken) to refer to the tzaddik’s disposition. Accordingly, the passuk is saying, “I was young and also old, and I never saw a tzaddik feeling forlorn and depressed.” A tzaddik knows the importance of simchah, and therefore he utilizes all the recommendations to always be happy. 7 One counsel for simchah is to make other people happy. We say in Shacharis, “pesachta saki v’tazreini simcha” (Tehilim 30). The Beis Yisrael zy”a explained, “open up your wallet to help others, and you will be girded with happiness.” “Mishenichnas Adar marbim besimchah”. Marbim (we increase) is stated in plural. The Sfas Emes teaches that this indicates that the path to happiness is by making others happy. 8 There are several paths that lead to happiness and when we implement them, we can carry out Chazal’s requirement to be happy in Adar.