The Jewish Imperative of Simcha
Bein Adam Le-chavero: Ethics of Interpersonal Conduct
By Rav
Binyamin Zimmerman
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Shiur #20:
The Jewish Imperative of Simcha
One of the most important facets of a religious
existence is the element of simcha.
Although, for lack of a better expression, we will translate this term as
referring to happiness and joy, its true meaning, as we shall see, is much
deeper.
A number of relatively familiar sources reflect the
necessity of simcha in ones religious existence. The verse recited in the weekday
prayers declares:
Serve God with happiness; come before him with
joyous song. (Tehillim 100:2)
A statement of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov has been
immortalized in the popular song Mitzva gedola lihyot be-simcha tamid,
It is a great mitzva to be happy always:
It is a great mitzva to be happy always and to make
every effort to determinedly keep depression and gloom at bay. (Likkutei Moharan II, 24)
While we must understand why simcha is so
necessary and why it is a mitzva, an additional question must be asked: how does
the element of simcha relate to the interpersonal realm? Is joy in spiritual endeavors a part
of each individuals unique responsibility, or does the Torah expect each
individual to seek out the joy of others as well?
Our investigation of this issue will reveal that the
Torah explicitly places a responsibility upon each Jew to bring joy to others,
especially in situations in which happiness is necessary.
This is equally true for unfortunate
individuals who find happiness hard to come by.
However, the real novelty of the Torahs requirement of simcha is
that the role of bringing joy to others is not only for the practical purposes
of creating an atmosphere of joy.
Clearly, laughter is contagious and one who tries to enthuse others is liable to
get enthused himself, but the Jewish imperative to make others happy is based on
a clear distinction. There are two
types of joy: frivolity (holeilut), which one should shy away from, and
holy simcha, which is an indispensable part of ones religious existence.
One's personal simcha is judged and
determined by the level of ones involvement in bringing joy to others. Clearly there is a practical benefit
to extending simcha, in that one who is involved in bringing joy to
others has to be, at least outwardly, acting in a joyous manner. As we shall see, gladdening others is
not a merely practical, utilitarian measure; it is the true yardstick for
achieving an honest expression of simcha, which the Torah so heartily
encourages us to achieve.
For you did not serve Lord your God amidst happiness
Beyond the above-cited sources directing one to live
a life of simcha, the importance of simcha in ones religious life
is expressed by a verse in the middle of the lengthy Tokhacha (Rebuke)
that describes the terrible calamities that will befall the Jewish people if
they fail to heed the word of God in Devarim 28. While the passage begins by saying
(v. 15), And if you will not listen to the voice of Lord your God, indicating
that the reason for the destruction is disobedience, the continuation of the
Tokhacha seems to present a very different and even startling reason (v.
47):
For you did not serve Lord your God amidst happiness
and goodness of the heart, when everything was abundant.
The simple meaning of the verse is that the Jewish
people earn destruction not due to their refusal to fulfill Gods laws, but due
to their failure to do so with simcha.
The Rambam, towards the end of Hilkhot Teshuva
(9:1), expands on this verse, explaining how serving God with simcha
is a prerequisite for benefitting from the blessings God wishes to bestow upon
His people; sadly, the opposite is also true: service of God which lacks
simcha calls for the calamitous curses of the Tokhacha.
There are certainly practical benefits of being
happy. These utilitarian aspects of
simcha enable joy to be a major tool for ones spiritual service of God. In fact, Rabbi Nachmans source for
the great mitzva is the requirement to care for ones health, based on the
verse (Devarim 4:9) Take care of yourself and guard your soul
diligently. (See also Yad Rama,
Sanhedrin 17b.)
Eminent physicians, too, have spoken at length about
this, that all illness is the product of gloom and depression. And joy is a great healer
In the future, all sickness will be
remedied through joy
The rule is that a person has to be very determined
and to put all of his strength into being nothing but happy at all times. Human nature makes one draw oneself
into gloom on account of lifes vicissitudes and misfortunes, and every human
being is filled with suffering.
Therefore, a person has to exercise great effort in forcing himself to be happy
at all times and to bring himself to joy in any way he can even with
silliness. (Likkutei Moharan II, 24)
However, the tremendous punishments of the
Tokhacha would be rather extreme if the only purpose of simcha were
its practical, utilitarian results.
The requirement of simcha seems to express a religious ideal, an ideal
for which one may be held liable if one abandons it.
Religious Joy
Elsewhere, the Rambam describes the demeanor that
one should have constantly, reflecting his advice to follow the Golden Mean:
One should not be overly elated and laugh, nor be
sad and depressed in spirit; rather one should be sameach (happy) at all
times, with a friendly countenance. The same applies with regard to his other
traits
(Hilkhot Deot 1:4)
The Rambam essentially tells us that not only is
there a difference between sadness and simcha, but also between excessive
lightheadedness and simcha.
For the Jew to succeed in achieving the desired state of simcha, he must
harness the happiness in a controlled, riveting manner.
With this in mind we can understand the Talmuds
description of a unique type of joy known as simcha shel mitzva
(the joy associated with a mitzva).
One should not rise to pray amidst a state of
sorrow, nor amidst slothfulness, nor amidst laughter, nor amidst chatter, nor
amidst lightheadedness, nor amidst idle words but rather amidst simcha shel
mitzva. (Berakhot 31a)
It is this element of simcha shel mitzva
which is indispensable for a Jew who wants to rise in his spiritual awareness. The Gemara (Pesachim 117a)
uses almost the exact same phrases to define the necessary state of mind for one
to achieve prophecy.
The Divine Presence does not rest amidst a state of
sorrow
but rather through simcha shel mitzva
The Rambam (Hilkhot Yesodei Ha-Torah 7:3)
indicates that a prophet who desired to have a vision would play music in order
to reach a level of joy upon which the Shekhina could rest.
What is unique about this simcha shel
mitzva? What distinguishes it
from the characteristic happiness that we are so familiar with? The Rambam explains that simcha
shel mitzva may only be attained through constant work.
The simcha with which a person should rejoice
in the fulfillment of the mitzvot and the love of God Who commanded them
is a great service. Whoever holds
himself back from this rejoicing is worthy of retribution, as it is stated (Devarim
28:47), For you did not serve Lord your God amidst happiness and goodness of
the heart.
Whoever holds himself proud, giving himself honor
and acting haughtily in such situations, is a sinner and a fool. Concerning this, Shelomo warned (Mishlei
28:10): Do not seek glory before the king.
In contrast, anyone who lowers himself and thinks
lightly of his person in these situations is truly a great person, one worthy of
honor, who serves God out of love.
Thus, David, Ling of Israel declared (II Shemuel
6:22): "I will hold myself even more lightly esteemed than this and be humble in
my eyes," because there is no greatness or honor other than being happy before
God, as it says (ibid. v. 16), "King David
was dancing wildly and whistling before God." (Rambam,
Hilkhot Lulav 8:15)
Part of this simcha, according to the Rambam,
is the realization of being connected to and in the presence of God. It is this expression of joy which is
holy, as well as a religious expression.
It is both a tool for attaining closeness with God and distinct from mere
merriment and elatedness.
In Mesillat Yesharim (ch. 19), the Ramchal
describes this simcha as well.
The second main branch of love is happiness, a
fundamental principle in divine service, in relation to which David exhorted us
(Tehillim 100:2), "Serve God with
happiness; come before him with joyous song
Moreover, our Sages of blessed memory have said (Shabbat
30a), "The Divine Presence comes to rest upon one only amidst simcha shel
mitzva." In relation to the
aforementioned verse, "Serve God with happiness," they said (Midrash Shocher
Tov, ad loc.), R. Aibu said, When you stand before him in prayer, let your
heart rejoice that you are praying to a God without parallel.
This is true happiness, rejoicing that one has been
privileged to serve the Blessed Master, Who has no equal, and to occupy oneself
with His Torah and His mitzvot, which embody true perfection and eternal
preciousness. Shelomo, in his wisdom, expressed the idea thus (Shir Ha-shirim
1:4): "Draw me on; we will run after you. The King has brought me to his
chambers; we will rejoice and be happy in you." The further a person is
privileged to enter into the chambers of the knowledge of the greatness of the
Blessed One, the greater is his happiness, and his heart rejoices within him.
We find that the Holy One, Blessed be He, stormed
against the Jews because they omitted this element in their Divine service, as
it is said (Devarim 28:47): " For you
did not serve Lord your God amidst happiness and goodness of the heart, when
everything was abundant.
David saw how the Jews donated towards the building
of the Temple; he observed that they had already attained this trait, so he
prayed that it would remain with them and not depart, as it is said (I Divrei
Ha-yamim 29:17-18): "And now, Your people that are found here I have seen
offering to You with joy. O Lord, God of Avraham, Yitzchak and Yisrael, our
fathers, preserve this eternally for the inclination of the thoughts of the
heart of Your people, and set their hearts aright with You."
Similarly, the Kuzari expresses that simcha
for the Jew is as indispensable and precious as the other essential aspects of
emotional connection to God, fear and love.
Our Torah, as a whole, is divided between fear,
love, and happiness, by each of which one can approach God. Your contrition on a
fast day brings you no closer to God than your joy on the Sabbath and holy days,
if it is the outcome of a devout heart. Just as prayers demand devotion, so also
is a pious mind necessary to find pleasure in God's command and law; you should
be pleased with the law itself from love of the Lawgiver. You see how much He
has distinguished you, as if you had been His guest invited to His festive
board. You thank Him in mind and word, and if your joy leads you so far as to
sing and dance, it becomes worship and a bond of union between you and the
Divine Influence. Our Torah does not consider these matters optional; it lays
down decisive injunctions concerning them
(Kuzari II, 50)
Bringing Simcha to Others
Understandably, if simcha is a religious
ideal, as we have seen, the expression of its obligation in the interpersonal
realm takes on new importance. The prominence of simcha as an
interpersonal responsibility is reflected in a number of explicit obligations to
bring joy to others in specific circumstances.
Some of these obligations are so important that one is discharged from
all other obligations while involved in gladdening these specific individuals. The explicit requirement is expressed
in the Torah within a mans obligations to his wife at the beginning of their
marriage. In the Talmud, we find the
directive for others to bring joy to a newly married couple.
In addition, God demands that we show
concern for the unfortunate and bring some joy into their lives.
When a man marries a new wife, he shall not go out
to the army, nor shall it obligate him for any matter; he shall be free for his
home for one year, and he shall make happy (ve-simach) his wife, whom he
has married. (Devarim 24:5)
The Talmud speaks of the requirement of bringing
simcha to a groom in the context of partaking of his wedding feast.
And Rav Chelbo said in the name of Rav Huna: Anyone
who benefits from the banquet of the bridegroom and does not make him happy
violates the spirit of the five sounds that are mentioned in the following
verse, as it is stated (Yirmiyahu 33:11), The sound of joy and the sound
of happiness, the sound of the bridegroom and the sound of the bride, the sound
of them that say, Give thanks to the Lord of Hosts.
And if he does gladden the bridegroom, what is his
reward?
Rav Yehoshua Ben Levi said: He merits the Torah,
which was given with five sounds
(Berakhot
6b)
The requirement to bring joy to the young couple is
unique in that one stops his learning of Torah in order to bring joy to the
bridegroom. However, through his
adding joy to the wedding, the scholar is awarded with the blessing of the Torah
itself. Bringing joy to those who
are beginning a life of happiness together is amply rewarded by God.
Beyond the specific requirements of gladdening others at specific times
in their lives, the Torah prescribes various mitzvot requiring one to
care for and love the convert, the widow, and the orphan, individuals who often
lack joy. However, most unique to
the requirement to bring joy to others is the redefining of the individuals
imperative of simcha: one does not suffice with ones own joy; one seeks
to actively extend it to others.
This is a reflection of the uniquely Jewish idea of simcha, as we shall
see.
Interpersonal Simcha
Certainly, there is an element of following Gods
ways in bringing simcha to others.
God actively seeks to bestow goodness upon his creations (Derekh
Hashem, ch. 2) and the Torah itself is described as a bringer of joy.
Gods directives are right, they gladden the heart.
(Tehillim 19:9)
In Avot, the Mishna takes the element of
simcha in Torah one step further by declaring that one who studies Torah in
its ideal form, lishmah, for its own sake, not only brings enjoyment to
himself, but to others as well.
Rabbi Meir stated: Whoever engages in Torah study
lishmah merits many things: furthermore, the creation of the entire world
is worthwhile for his sake alone
He loves God and he loves mankind; he makes
God happy and he makes mankind happy. (Avot 6:1)
It is here that the religious devotion directly
translates into a gladdening experience, for the student of Torah and for
mankind as a whole. However, the
religious element of simcha takes the interpersonal obligation one step
beyond.
Mattanot La-evyonim
and the Joy of
Being Kind like God
After
understanding a number of the basic sources discussing the concept of simcha
and its imperatives, one must envision the Torahs definition of simcha
as not limited to personal enjoyment; quite the contrary, one lacks simcha
unless one brings it to others as well.
When commanding each Jew to rejoice during the festivals, The Torah (Devarim
16:14) states:
You shall be happy on your festival together with
your son and your daughter, your male and your female servants, the Levite, the
stranger, the orphan and the widow in your gates.
The Torah links the happiness one shares with
members of ones household to ones generosity in inviting the unfortunate. The Rambam records this as the
defining factor of whether ones happiness reflects simcha shel mitzva or
the rejoicing of his stomach.
The rejoicing mentioned in the verse refers to
sacrificial peace offerings
nevertheless, included in this charge to rejoice is
that he and the members of his household should rejoice, each in a manner
appropriate for him
.
When a person eats and drinks (in celebration of the
festivals), he should also feed strangers, orphans, and widows, as well as other
poor unfortunates. When a person
locks the gates of his courtyard
and does not provide food or drink to the
poor and miserable, his happiness is not the happiness associated with a mitzva,
but the happiness of his gut
Such happiness is a disgrace, as it is stated (Malakhi
2:3) I will spread dung on your faces, the dung of your feasts. (Hilkhot
Yom Tov 6:17-18)
Similarly, in
Hilkhot Chagiga (2:14) the Rambam states:
If one partakes of sacrifices and does not bring joy
to the together with him, to him are
applied the words of censure (Hoshea 9:4) For them, their sacrifices
will be like the bread of those aggrieved; all who partake of it become impure
Whoever forsakes a Levite, refrains from bringing
him joy, or delays giving him the tithes during the festivals violates a
negative commandment, as it is stated (Devarim 12:19): Beware lest you
abandon the Levite.
Joy is essential for the Jew, but not the mere
utilitarian state of happiness; rather, it is the religious ideal which is
central, and this requires providing for others.
The Rambam expresses practical ramifications of this. When faced with the dilemma of
whether to focus ones energy for the Purim holiday on the elaborate festive
meal, on the mishloach manot (portions of food for friends) or on the
unique obligation of mattanot la-evyonim (gifts for the indigent), the
Rambam issues a surprising ruling:
It is preferable for a person to be more liberal
with his donations to the poor than to be lavish in his feast or in sending
portions to his friends. Indeed,
there is no greater and more splendid happiness than to gladden the hearts of
the poor, the orphans, the widows and the strangers.
One who brings happiness to the hearts of these
unfortunate individuals resembles the Divine Presence, of which it is stated (Yeshayahu
57:15): To revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive those with broken
hearts. (Hilkhot Megilla
2:17)
The Rambams reasoning is clear.
With all the importance of the other mitzvot of Purim (which
clearly are not to be neglected), the acts which should bring one the most joy
are not the acts of drinking or dining or even sharing food with ones friends,
but rather the act of bringing joy to the unfortunate. That is what makes man like God! It requires reframing our
understanding, but the message is truly powerful.
This is simcha shel mitzva, the uniquely Jewish imperative of holy
joy.
Grabbing the Gloomy and Bringing Them to the Circle of Joy
One of the most influential advocates of the
importance of simcha is Rabbi Nachman of Breslov. Throughout his works, he extols the
importance of simcha and the many virtues that it has to offer. Near the end of his masterwork,
Likkutei Moharan, he explains:
Here is an analogy: sometimes, when people are happy
and dance, they grab someone outside the circle who is depressed and gloomy. Against his will, they bring him into
the circle of dancers; against his will, they force him to be happy along with
them.
Rabbi Nachman continues that this is the essential
power of simcha. Happiness
has the ability to wipe away ones gloom and sadness and immediately elevate an
individual to a much cheerier dimension.
He explains that the ultimate act of serving God through simcha is
to actually embrace that transformation.
Yet greater still is to gather courage to actually
pursue gloom and to introduce it into the joy, such that the gloom itself turns
into joy
It is like a person who comes
to a celebration where the abundant joy and happiness there transforms all his
worries, depression and gloom into joy.
Thus, he grabs the gloom and introduces it against its will into the
celebration, as in the aforementioned analogy.
This is the meaning of They will attain happiness
and joy, as sadness and sighing flee (Yeshayahu 35:10). The sadness and sighing run from joy
Happiness and joy will catch up with
and seize sadness and sighing as they flee and run from celebration, in order to
introduce them, against their will, into jubilation.
While Rabbi Nachman speaks of introducing the sad
individual to the circle of joy only as an analogy for his beautiful idea of
transforming gloom to elation, one might take the idea one step further (and
there are certainly ample reasons to assume that this was Rabbi Nachmans
intention). One who seeks real joy
cannot only focus on his own gloom; he must actively seek out those who are
destitute and unfortunate, who cannot find a reason to be joyous and are
therefore wallowing in feelings of depression.
The one who really wants to be sameach must bring these
individuals into the circle, supply their needs and help fill their joy. If one focuses not only on his
individual needs of joy but on the happiness of others, he grasps simcha shel
mitzva. This is the heart of the
mitzva of being joyous.
It is truly difficult to maintain a feeling of simcha constantly,
and understandably one may feel sadness at different times. However, striving to attain the
Jewish concept of simcha may simultaneously help one achieve that joy. By learning to enjoy giving to
others, by helping the unfortunate inviting them to our meals, caring for them
and providing for their needs we will hopefully begin to appreciate that which
we have. Simultaneously, learning
that our joy is linked to the gladness of others allows us to take a step
towards embracing the unique experience of simcha shel mitzva.
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