3 Conditions To Reach Happiness - Sadness, Suffering, And How To Invest Your Donations Correctly

The Sages taught the following baraita: For two and a half years, Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel disagreed. These say: It would have been preferable had man not been created than to have been created. And those said: It is preferable for man to have been created than had he not been created. Ultimately, they were counted and concluded: It would have been preferable had man not been created than to have been created. However, now that he has been created, he should examine his actions that he has performed and seek to correct them. And some say: He should scrutinize his planned actions and evaluate whether or not and in what manner those actions should be performed, so that he will not sin.

Who brought you out. Hashem did not identify Himself as the one who created heaven and earth because there were no witnesses to that event. He also refrained from mentioning that He created human beings since it can be argued that it would have been better for them if they had not been created (see Eiruvin 13b), whereas Hashem wished to mention only the unambiguous good He had done for them.

(13) The Rabbis discuss the question whether the soul is in its essence a hylic (material) power or an independent substance. Two and a half years, we are told, the schools of Shammai and Hillel disputed the question whether it was worth while for man to have been created. The one said, It would have been better for man not to have been created than to have been created. The other said, It was better for man to have been created than not to have been created. They took a vote and decided that it would have been better if man had not been created, but now that he has been created, he must be careful about his conduct.

(14) Now it seems to us that he who said it was better for man to have been created, held that man’s soul is a hylic power, as the Philosopher thinks. Hence he said that it was better for him to have been created, because existence is always better than non-existence, and one may rise to the degree of permanent existence by rational activity. On the other hand, the one who said that it would have been better for man not to have been created, believed that the soul is an independent spiritual substance. Now as a result of creation the soul may be destroyed or severely punished. Hence he said, It would have been better if man had not been created, i. e. that the soul had not been put into the human body. Solomon also said: “But better than they both is he that hath not yet been.” Now if the soul were a hylic (material) power, how could he say about a non-existent thing that it is better than both? How can non-existence be better than existence, since all existence is good, as the Bible testifies: “And God saw everything that He had made, and, behold, it was very good”? Without doubt, then, his opinion is that the soul is a spiritual substance and not a material power. And since this is the correct opinion and the one that is in agreement with the Torah, they voted and decided that it would have been better for man if he had not been created, and they added that he must be careful of his conduct, so that the soul may not be destroyed or punished.

Everybody, even the poorest in Yisrael, who is a recipient of charity, is required to give at least two gifts to two poor persons, that is, one gift to each person, for it is written, Matanos l'evyonim "And gifts to the poor," (9:22) [leveyonim is a plural] which implies, two gifts to two poor people. You should not be selective when giving charity on Purim; whoever holds out his hand to ask for charity should be given a donation. If you are in a community where there are no poor people, you should either keep the money until you meet needy persons, or send it to them.

There are a people that dwells apart, Not reckoned among the nations,

הן עם לבדד ישכון, in the final analysis, they are the only people who will eventually populate the earth. This concept is repeated by Moses in Deuteronomy 32,12 יקוק בדד ינחנו, “the Lord will guide only them alone.” It will be impossible to destroy them.

“It is a people that shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations” (Numbers 23:9), teaching that where the verse mentions “the nations,” the Jewish people are not included.

The Gemara asks: Is that so? And did we not learn in a mishna: These are the matters that a person does them and enjoys their profits in this world, and nevertheless the principal exists for him for the World-to-Come, and they are: Honoring one’s father and mother, and acts of loving kindness, and bringing peace between a person and another, and Torah study is equal to all of them. By inference: These matters, yes, one enjoys their profits in this world and the principal exists for him in the World-to-Come; other matters, no.

You have not a single commandment among all the precepts to balance the one concerning the study of the Torah, but the precept to study the Torah stands out against all the rest of the commandments, because study leads to practice. Therefore, in every instance study precedes practice.⁵Pe’ah, 1. 1; Kiddushin, 40a; Megillah, 3b; Baba Kamma, 17b. C. G.

GEMARA:And the Gemara raises a contradiction from a mishna (Pe’a 1:1): These are the matters that a person engages in and enjoys their profits in this world, and the principal reward remains for him for the World-to-Come, and they are: Honoring one’s father and mother, acts of loving kindness, hospitality toward guests, and bringing peace between one person and another; and Torah study is equal to all of them. This indicates that one is rewarded in this world only for fulfilling these mitzvot, but not for fulfilling all mitzvot.

Rabbi Nehorai says: I set aside all the trades in the world, and I teach my son only Torah, as a person partakes of its reward in this world and the principal reward remains for him in the World-to-Come, which is not true of other professions, whose rewards are only in this world. Furthermore, if a person comes to be ill, or old, or undergoes suffering, and is unable to be involved in his trade, behold, he dies in hunger. But with regard to the Torah it is not so, since one can study it under all circumstances. Rather, it preserves him from all evil and sin in his youth, and provides him with a future and hope in his old age.

And God spoke (Exod. 20:1). May it please our master to teach us: What things have their reward in the world-to-come? Thus do our masters teach us: These are the things whose interest a man enjoys in this world but whose principal is stored up for him in the world-to-come: Honoring one’s father and mother, performing good deeds, advancing the laws of peace between man and his fellow man, and the study of the Torah, which is equal to all the others.

Learn the weekly Torah portion each week, reciting the Torah text twice, the Targum once, and then learn Rashi’s commentary. This should be completed before the time the Reader concludes the weekly, public Torah reading in Synagogue on Shabbos morning. Understand what Rashi is saying. Greatly embrace and attach yourself to his commentary. When learning Gemara, be certain that you correctly understand that, too, and cling to it. For it is a proper thing to learn Mishna and Gemara, and one will receive reward for so doing. The one who sacrifices himself and carefully and scrupulously learns Gemara so that he understands it correctly, makes himself beloved. There is no greater and unique a reward than there will be for learning Torah, and no better profession than to learn Gemara. The Mishna says that learning Torah is equal, for God, to all the best Good Deeds. It is impossible to properly understand the Torah without the Gemara. Talmud Torah is equal to all else.

No other commandment is equal in value to the precept of studying the Torah, but the study of the Torah can be weighed against all of the other precepts together, because the study of the Torah leads to the performance of the deeds commanded there (Kiddushin 40b). And the statement that "the study of the Torah outweighs them all" (Peah 1:1) applies to him who studies in order to learn and to teach, to observe, to do, and to fulfill, but who, because of his constant study of the Torah, is not able to fulfill all of the commandments, and when he is not studying he does all that he can, thus showing the state of his mind, that he wants very much to perform the commandments. It is in such a case that "the study of the Torah outweighs them all." For when he studies the precepts and wants to fulfill them, then he already is rewarded as though he had fulfilled them, inasmuch as he has been kept from fulfilling them only because of his diligent study of the Torah. And so he finds that the reward of doing and of studying are both his. But he who frequently is idle, and is able to perform the commandments at the time that he is idle but does not hasten to do them, or when he does fulfill a commandment does not do so with great care, as is befitting, of him it is not said that the study of the Torah outweighs all the other commandments.

This can be explained, with the help of the L-rd, in various ways. [See what we have written above in the introduction.] It is written in Yerushalmi Peah 1:1 that just as the reward for Torah study is over and against all of the mitzvoth, so is the punishment for lashon hara over and against all of the transgressions. It is found, then, that just as Torah study is the greatest of all of the mitzvoth, so is lashon hara the severest of all of the sins. The reason, basically, is this: Just as with the elements that the blessed One has implanted in this world — fire, wind, water, and earth — the spiritual element is far stronger than the material so that the material is almost nothing compared to it, as we see plainly that when fire gets the upper hand over a material substance it destroys it, and, likewise, when the element of wind gets the upper hand, it can split mountains and break rocks, as it is written (I Kings 19:11): "And a great, strong wind, splitting mountains and breaking rocks," so is the thing with the "higher elements," such as tzitzith, lulav, shofar, and all the mitzvoth. Just as through them great things are worked in the higher worlds, and through them, too, a man is sanctified to the L-rd, as it is written (Numbers 15:40): "And you shall do all My mitzvoth and you shall be holy to your G-d," still, there is no comparison between them and Torah study, as we find in Yerushalmi Peah 1, that all of the mitzvoth are not comparable to one word of Torah. The reason is that all the mitzvoth are combined with matter. So that, for example, it is impossible to fulfill the mitzvah of tzitzith without donning a garment, which is material. And the same with succah and lulav, and thus with all of the mitzvoth. Not so with Torah study, which inheres in the faculty of speech, which is an abstract, "spiritual" faculty alone. For this reason its higher workings are awesome, wherefore the study of Torah is "over and against all." The reverse is true of kilkul ["damage"]. For with all of the organs through which he sins, because they are material, the kilkul wrought by them is not so [relatively] great. Not so, with the sin of lashon hara and rechiluth, which works purely through a spiritual agency, wherefore its kilkul in the higher worlds is awesome. Its punishment, therefore, correspondingly, is "over and against all."

And Chazal have said (Peah 1:1): "These are the things that a person eats… and Torah study over and against all." And we find in Yerushalmi (Peah, Chapter 1) that all of the mitzvoth are not comparable to one word of Torah.

And through it [Torah study] one merits the world to come, as Chazal have said (Peah 1:1): “These are the things … and Torah study over and against all.” And Chazal have said (Bava Metzia 85b): “That which is written (Iyyov 3:19): ‘The small and the great are there [in the next world], and the servant free of his master.’ Do we not know that the small and the great are there? — [The intent is] rather, that all who make themselves small for Torah in this world are made great in the world to come, and all who make themselves servants for Torah in this world are made free men in the world to come.” And in Avoth 6:3: “There is no honor but Torah, as it is written (Mishlei 3:35): ‘The wise will inherit honor.’ Do not desire more honor than your learning and do not lust for the table of kings. For your table [in the world to come] is greater than their table in this world, and your crown is greater than their crown, etc.” And in Sanhedrin 100a: “All who blacken their faces in Torah study in this world, the Holy One Blessed be He brightens them in the world to come, as it is written (Song of Songs 5:15): ‘His countenance is as Levanon, choice as the cedars.’” And, similarly, in Midrash Rabbah: “R. Yehudah interpreted the verse as relating to Torah scholars. One verse states (Ibid. 11) ‘black as a raven,’ and another (Nachum 2:5): ‘Their appearance is like flames, they flash like lightning.’ These are the Torah scholars, who look ungainly and black in this world but whose appearance is flamelike in the next world.” R. Tanchum ben Chanilai said: ‘All who starve themselves for words of Torah in this world, the Holy One Blessed be He sates them in the world to come, as it is written (Psalms 36:9): ‘They will be sated with the fatness of Your house.’”

A person should try to pray in the synagogue with a congregation, and if they are unable (lit. "anus", coerced) to come, they should intend to pray while the congregation is praying [This applies to people living in small setttlements, unable to pray in a minyan -- they nevertheless, should pray shaharit and arbit during the time of congregational prayer -Sma"g] If they (the person) could not pray at the time when the community pray, and is praying alone, nevertheless they should pray alone in the synagogue.

It is a great mitzvah to pray in a synagogue or in a Beis Midrash¹⁹House of Study. because these are sacred places. Even if it happens that there is no minyan,²⁰Ten people which form the quorum necessary for congregational prayer. Nevertheless it is better to pray in a house with a minyan rather than in a synagogue without a minyan. it is nevertheless a mitzvah to pray there even when praying alone, because these are holy places. If you usually study in a Beis Midrash you should also pray there, with ten people, even though in your city there is also a synagogue. However, if you are not accustomed to study in a Beis Midrash, you should pray in a synagogue where there is a multitude of people, for "In the multitude of people is the glory of the king."²¹Proverbs 14:28. If there are two synagogues in your city, you should go to the more distant one, in order to earn a reward for the added steps. Said Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi: "A person should always awaken early and go to a synagogue in order to be counted among the first ten people, because even if a hundred come after him, he receives a reward equal to all of them."²²Maseches Berachos 47b. Our Sages, of blessed memory, have also said: "Whoever goes morning and evening to the synagogue or to the Beis Midrash in the proper time, and remains there the proper amount of time, and conducts himself there with proper sanctity, will merit long life, as it is written: 'Fortunate is the man who listens to Me, watching daily at My gates, waiting at the posts of My door.'²³Proverbs 8:34. And it is written following this: 'For whoever finds Me finds life.'"²⁴Proverbs 8:35.,²⁵Maseches Berachos 8a.

If you produce what is noble Out of the worthless, You shall be My spokesman. They shall come back to you, Not you to them.

And anyone who teaches Torah to the son of an ignoramus achieves such an exalted status that even if the Holy One, Blessed be He, were to issue a harsh decree, He may nullify it for his sake, as it is stated in the continuation of the verse: “And if you bring forth the precious out of the worthless, you shall be as My mouth,” i.e., you will be like the mouth of God that can rescind a decree.

Rabbi once happened to come to the city where R. Tarphon used to dwell, and asked: "Has the man who used to swear by his children left a son?" And he was told that he had left no son, but a grandson of his daughter, and that he was so beautiful that even prostitutes whose price was two dinars would pay four to him. He sent for him, and said: "If you will repent, I shall give you my daughter." And he did so. According to some, he married Rabbi's daughter, but divorced her afterwards; and according to others, he did not marry her at all, so that people should not say that he repented only for the sake of this woman. But what was the reason that Rabbi troubled himself so much in such cases? R. Juda said in the name of Rab, according to others, R. Chiya b. Abba said in the name of R. Jochanan, and according to still others, R. Samuel b. Nachmeni said in the name of R. Jonathan: "He who teaches the Torah to the son of his neighbor will be rewarded with a seat in the heavenly college; as it is said (Jer. 15, 19) Behold, thus said the Lord… . Thou shalt stand before me, and if thou bring forth the precious from the vile, thou shall be as my mouth. And he who teaches the Torah to the son of an Am Ha'aretz, even if the Holy One, praised be He, ordained an evil decree against the world. He will abolish it [for the sake of this meritorious act]; as it is said (Ib.) And if thou bring forth the precious from the vile."

You will decree and it will be fulfilled, And light will shine upon your affairs.

The Sages taught: What message did the members of the Chamber of the Hewn Stone, the Great Sanhedrin, send to Ḥoni HaMe’aggel? About you, the verse states: “You shall also decree a matter, and it shall be established for you; and the light shall shine upon your ways. When they cast down, you will say: There is lifting up, for He saves the humble person. He will deliver the one who is not innocent and he will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands” (Job 22:28–30).They interpreted: “You shall also decree a matter”; you, Ḥoni, decree from below, and the Holy One, Blessed be He, fulfills your statement from above. “And the light shall shine upon your ways”; a generation that was in darkness, you have illuminated it with your prayer.

A person should not utter anything from his mouth unless he knows that this is favorable to his Creator, and if this is so: "You will decide and this will be granted you" (Iyov 22:28)

Everyone who speaks the truth in his heart and does not want even to think falsely, even without meaning to do so, his words and his thoughts will be fulfilled, as it is said, "Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee" (Job 22:28)... And he who does not speak anything but the truth will live, and live long, and be free.

The passage continues: “The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spoke to me, He that rules over men must be righteous, ruling in the fear of God” (II Samuel 23:3). The Gemara asks: What is this verse saying? What does it mean? Rabbi Abbahu said: This is what the verse is saying: The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spoke to me: Although I rule over man, who rules over Me? It is a righteous person. How is it possible to say that a righteous person rules over God, as it were? As I, God, issue a decree and the righteous person nullifies it.

Never has anyone become poor by giving to tzedakah...

No man is ever impoverished from giving alms, nor is evil or harm ever caused by it; as it is written, "And the work of righteousness shall be peace."⁴Isaiah 32:17. A play on the word Tsedakah meaning “righteousness” and also “charity.”

A person never becomes poor through giving charity...

The court tells the witnesses: Therefore, Adam the first man was created alone, to teach you that with regard to anyone who destroys one soul from the Jewish people, i.e., kills one Jew, the verse ascribes him blame as if he destroyed an entire world, as Adam was one person, from whom the population of an entire world came forth. And conversely, anyone who sustains one soul from the Jewish people, the verse ascribes him credit as if he sustained an entire world.

Rav Yosef said: Studying Torah is greater than saving lives...

for the blood is the life...

כי נפש הבשר בדם הוא ואני נתתיו לכם על המזבח, “for the soul of the flesh is in the blood and I have assigned it for you on the Altar.” Nachmanides provides a number of reasons to account for the prohibition to consume blood. One is that the blood is the part of the animal consecrated for G’d, i.e. sprinkled on the Altar, just as certain fat parts of the animals which are also prohibited even in animals which were not offered as sacrifices (compare Leviticus 3,16). As to the prohibition of the blood of free-roaming beasts (which are not fit as sacrifices) the Torah did not see fit to forbid the blood of some animals while permitting that of others. It is a decree designed to prevent us from making an error as to which blood may be eaten.
Another reason for the prohibition of blood is that the blood represents the essence of the animal and G’d had never permitted that the essence (soul) of an animal be eaten. Only the meat had been permitted. When G’d permitted Noach the consumption of animals this was because having saved the animals Noach had acquired a right to their bodies. However, G’d permitted only he bodies of the animals not their life-force (soul). It is altogether not appropriate to mix human life-forces with animal life-essence. A nation such as a Jewish people, recipients of the holy Torah, must preserve the purity of their bodies so that they can receive input from intelligence emanating in the celestial spheres Furthermore, we have been commanded to train ourselves to be merciful, soft-hearted, and not cruel. If we were to eat the blood we would assimilate animalistic tendencies within us and become cruel, ultimately resembling animals more than angels. The fact is that food consumed is assimilated by the body even though it is converted, transformed in the process. Character traits possessed by animals will surface in people eating their blood. According to the view expressed by Nachmanides the digestive process involving the assimilation of blood is different from that of converting meat-tissue; seeing it requires less of a process of digestion, more of the original enters our bloodstream and affects our tendencies.
All of these considerations caused the Torah to write: “for the personality of the flesh (in each respective animal) resides within its blood.” Life-forces destined for destruction such as the animal to be slaughtered should not be mixed with life-forces meant to remain alive. On the contrary, the very life-force to be sacrificed is to rehabilitate that of its owner through having been elevated to serve as an offering on G’d’s altar.

The Gemara comments: Rav Shmuel bar Ami accepted this statement from Rabbi Zeira and cited a verse that supports it. As the Merciful One states: “Only be strong not to eat the blood; for the blood is the soul” (Deuteronomy 12:23). This verse indicates: Blood with regard to which the soul leaves the body when it is spilled is called blood; however, blood with regard to which the soul does not leave the body when it is spilled, but which is squeezed out afterward, is not called blood.

The Gemara answers that the verse states: “And one who strikes an animal shall pay for it; and one who strikes a person shall be put to death” (Leviticus 24:21), juxtaposing one who strikes an individual with one who strikes an animal. An earlier verse states: “One who strikes the soul of an animal shall pay for it” (Leviticus 24:18). Based on this it is derived: Just as one who strikes an animal is not liable unless he wounds it and draws blood, as “soul” is written concerning it, and it can be derived from the verse: “For the blood is the soul” (Deuteronomy 12:23), that the term “soul” is a reference to blood, so too, one who strikes a person is not liable unless he causes a wound and draws blood.

The Gemara challenges this answer: But doesn’t Rabbi Elazar say that Rabbi Yehuda concedes with regard to atonement that presenting blood of exudate does not effect atonement, as it is stated: “For the soul of the flesh is in the blood; and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement by reason of the soul” (Leviticus 17:11).

"What brightens the eyes". The light of the eyes (clarity?) in a doubtful thing gladdens the heart, because in the world there is no joy like the resolution (lit. "loosening", permitting) of doubts.

One must always accustom oneself to say: Everything that God does, He does for the best.

And thus if a man has any kind of troubles he must rejoice even so. And thus said the Sages : "Beloved are troubles" (Berakoth 5b). And the Sages said also : "He who rejoices in his pain brings salvation to the world" (Ta'anith 8a). And a man should accustom his mouth to say : "This too is for good" (Ta'anith 21a), or "All that the merciful God has done He has done for good" (Berachot 60b). For there are many apparent evils whose end is good, and thus did our Rabbis teach and interpret this portion of Scripture, "I will give thanks unto thee, O Lord; for thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortest me" (Is. 12:1). They explained it with a parable of two men who walked, intending to board a boat. One of them had a thorn stuck into his foot so that he could not board the boat and when his companion boarded the boat the man bruised by the thorn began to curse his "evil fortune". After a time he heard that the boat had sunk and all the people in it had died. Then did he begin to praise the Creator, may He be Blessed, for he realized that the incident with the thorn had saved his life (Niddah 31a). Therefore, should a man rejoice with troubles and with other injuries that may befall him, for he does not know what good will be derived from them in the future. And thus did Nahum the man of Gamzu conduct himself (Ta'anith 21a).

The more possessions, the more worry.

"the more worry": Lest they rob him on behalf of the king's estate or lest bandits come upon him and kill him. And a certain pious man would pray, "May the Ominpresent save me from the spreading of the soul." And they inquired from him, "What is the spreading of the soul?" He said [back] to them that it [means] that his possessions should be numerous and spread out in many places, and [so] he would have to spread his soul to think in [this direction and that direction].

The more possessions, the more worry: Do not think that because of the honor of his wealth and the multitude of his assets, he will while away his days in bounty and his years in pleasantness. But [instead], he will worry about them the whole entire year. 'Ask him and he will tell you, your wealthy ones and they will say to you.'

And as for the claim that he will have peace of mind when he amasses wealth - this demonstrates falsehood and foolishness on his part. On the contrary this may well be the very cause that will cause him much mental pressure and anxiety as our sages said "more possessions, more worries" (Avos 2:7).

The term blessing (berakah) is applied to abundance of various kinds of prosperity and success. We find it used to denote wealth of various kinds. Thus, “And the blessing of the Lord was upon all that he had, in the house and in the field”; while Solomon says, “The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and He doth not add sorrow thereto.” Ordinarily manifold wealth is a cause of great sorrow and trouble, as we are told, “He who increases property, increases sorrow.” Hence Solomon says that wealth which comes with the blessing of God, even if it be manifold in its sources, is not accompanied with an increase of sorrow, as is usually the case.

We may also deny the predicate, and say that the apparent good is not a good at all, as Solomon says: “Riches kept by the owner thereof to his hurt;” or as Eliphaz says: “The wicked man travaileth with pain all his days,” i. e. it may be that those strokes of fortune which come to him are evils, because he is always in pain and sorrow and worry, as the Rabbis say: “Increase of possessions leads to increase of worry;” or as David says: “Many are the sorrows of the wicked.” Even that which clearly appears to be a good, may not be a good. For example, the hidden treasure under the wall which was about to fall. If the wall fell, the owner would have found the treasure. By divine providence, however, the wall became straight and everybody wondered at the extraordinary good fortune that happened to the wicked man by divine providence, whereas in fact the incident happened to the wicked man’s hurt, to prevent him from finding the treasure. Examples may be multiplied indefinitely.