BS’D
Today, 7th of Adar, is the yahrtzeit of Moshe Rabbeinu ztk’l. What a zechut it is to be part of Ahm Yisrael, a nation founded on Divine intervention and miracles, led by so many righteous leaders. Most certainly this is a reason to jump for joy and constantly smile, knowing how much Hashem loves us. May Moshe Rabbeinu serve as an advocate on behalf of Klal Yisrael and hasten the final redemption b’mheira b’rachamim, Amen.
The Ba’al Shem Tov HaKadosh teaches that nothing is more harmful to the soul then living a life empty of joy. A baby is born with an innate tendency towards happiness. In time their perception of life changes and they view the world negatively since life has a way of ‘disappointing’ people over time.
What is the source of this disappointment? It may arise from setting goals, materialistic or spiritual, that aren’t attainable which leads to a general feeling of failure. Yet we must emphasize once again the importance of perception when it comes to reaching a state of happiness. The founding principle of happiness originates from the understanding that one’s worth is not based on personal pleasure; only from the delight infused from living a life of G-dly purpose.
When our hearts feed us the message, “I need more, I want more,” genuine lasting joy becomes unreachable. Selfish desires are never satisfied; the body always wants more. However, knowing that all is from Hashem and is intended to fulfill the purpose we were created for, makes us happy. In this way, a person feels she has absolutely everything she needs at every given moment; if she needed more, she would have more.
Joy is firmly linked to how we see things; that is in our hands. Often we cannot change the circumstances in our lives, but we can always change how we accept and live with it. When we go through life with a clear vision of fulfilling our purpose, we won’t be disappointed with what life serves us. Setbacks are indicators of detours in the road. Hashem with His Infinite wisdom kindly places them to align us back to where we need to go. Just say, “Hashem take me where I need to go” and you’ll never be disappointed.
