JOY IN DARKNESS

Dear Family.

I hope everyone is well.

We wish long life to Mommy for the upcoming Yohrtzeit of Pepe next week.

Similarly to Renee, we wish you long life for Aunty Lottie's Yohrtzeit.

We remember them both fondly, and their neshamos should have an Aliyah.

I read two interesting areas this week which were connected to each other.

The one was Tanya Chap 27, and the other was an essay by Rabbi Y Jacobson.

Tanya has been focusing on sadness and joy, and in the above chapter, The Alte Rebbe has been focussing on the sadness and disappointment we feel about ourselves when we are overcome by desires, evil thoughts, wrong actions etc

The Alte Rebbe points out that the cause of this sadness is because we do not recognise our true position ie the reason we are disappointed with ourselves is because we think we are a tzadik and should not have acted in that low way, or had those low thoughts.

But really we are not a tzadik (actually very far away from a tzadik)

Our position is a benoni, and all the negativities that we face, are there on purpose, and are an opportunity for us to battle against, by using all our faculties to succeed.

And with every thrusting away of the negative forces (sitra achra) by ourselves, this also has an effect on the universal sitra achra, and this brings about a great satisfaction before Hashem - Zohar 135b.

Therefore, says the Alte Rebbe, no person should feel depressed, nor should his heart be troubled, even though he be engaged all his days in this conflict, constantly trying to subjugate the sitra achra, because perhaps this is what he was created for.

And then in R Jacobson essay he was saying this very idea in a different way as follows:

'It is a lost art today. We do not appreciate our minor victories.

Either I am a world hero or a loser.

BUT THIS IS NOT TRUE!

If you refine an emotion in your heart, or curtail a negative instinct, or you break a bad habit, or you subdue your ego, or you do a favour to another person, or you stay away from a promiscuous relationship, or you say a blessing, or recite a Psalm with mindfulness.

These are the stuff of Divine service that capture the dignity and purpose of human existence.'

AND BRINGS ABOUT JOY IN THE DARKNESS.

So as we now move out of the dark winter, we are approaching the month of Adar, about which it is said, when we enter Adar we greatly increase in JOY.

Wishing everyone a Gut Shabbos and a Gut Chodesh