FURTHER ASPECTS OF JOY

Dear Family,

I hope everyone is well.

We wish long life to Renee, Sid and Brian on the Yohrtzeit of Aunty Lottie today (I believe that it is Adar Aleph). Aunty Lottie was loved by everyone, and I personally, have only warm and fond memories of her. Her neshamah should have an aliyah!

Mazal Tov to Shlomo Moshe Vogel on his first birthday next week. Wishing him a happy year with much nachas for parents Avi and Penina!

The above demonstrates how our lives are constantly exposed to different moods and challenges, and it is interesting that this is being discussed in yesterday's and today's portion of Tanya learning, which I would like to share.

The Alte Rebbe is discussing ways of overcoming obstacles in the path of one's service to Hashem.

Currently he shows how one may overcome sadness and dullness of heart whereby the heart becomes insensitive to feelings of love and fear of Hashem.

"The Alte Rebbe uses a parable of 2 people wrestling with each other, each trying to fell the other.

If one of them is lazy and sluggish he will easily be defeated and fall, even if he is stronger than the other, because his laziness prevents him from revealing his strength.

Similarly in each of us, there is an inner battle going on, and it would be impossible to conquer our negative nature with laziness which stems from sadness.

Our negative side can however be conquered if there is alacrity WHICH DERIVES FROM JOY, and an open, ie responsive, heart, that is unblemished by any traces of worry and sadness in the world."

"Sound advice has been offered by our Sages on cleansing one's heart of all sadness and any trace of worry about mundane matters.

This is contained in the well known saying of our Sages that 'Just as one recites a blessing for his good fortune, so must he recite a blessing for one's misfortune (Gemorra Brochos Chap 9 - funnily enough this is the vey Gemorra that we are learning this week in Amud Yomi!). Because it too is for good, (ie the misfortune) except that it is not apparent and visible to mortal eyes... For one's joy in affliction stems from the fact that being near to G-d is dearer to him than anything of the life of this world..."

There is much more detail about this in Chap 26 if one wants to enlarge.

In the meantime we can continue with the work of being JOYOUS in Adar!

Gut Shabbos, and love to all.