JOY THROUGHOUT THE YEAR

Dear Family,

I hope that everyone is well.

We are now fast approaching Sukkos - the Festival of our REJOICING, and I came across a letter from the Rebbe this week, which explains a way on how to also be joyful every day of the year, which I would like to share:

(Igros Kodesh Vol. 16, p.347)

You write asking for a path of teshuvah;

Firstly, I must preface a point about teshuvah from Chassidus: that one of the foundations of teshuvah is joy and complete trust in the Creator and Leader of the world.

This is because teshuvah isn't necessarily done in response to a sin, but rather - and this is the central point of every type of teshuvah - to return to the source and beginning of it all: to Hashem, Who created us.

This is accomplished through living a lifestyle in accordance with the teachings of our Torah, the Torah of life, and this is the common denominator between all of the methods of teshuvah that different people do; from the very simplest individual up until the most righteous tzaddik, upon all of whom teshuvah is incumbent.

When you don't know what to do teshuvah for and which method of teshuvah to do, what I said above is the way that includes within it all of the methods.

It's certainly superfluous to explain at length that the Torah lifestyle isn't limited to Rosh HaShanah, Yom Kippur, Shabbos, Yom Tov, and so on, but rather it is a daily lifestyle; There are more weekdays than days of Shabbos and Yom Tov, and so the weekdays require extra scrupulosity.

I reiterate that all of this can - and must - be done with joy and trust in Hashem, and may I receive good news from your letters in the near future, about yourself, your household, and your entire family.

Gut Yom Tov and Gut Shabbos, with much Joy for all!