2: Most of this course will be geared towards giving you practical tools to attain Simcha. But 1st we must define what Simcha is, so we can know what we are yearning towards!
So let's start off with what Simcha is not...
3) Shlomo Hamelech says "And to this joy" what does it do? In other words, there is a joy that doesn't last...
4) The Rambam famously writes on the Mitzvah of Simchas Yontov that it doesn't involve feeding your body-that alone isn't true joy.
5) Similarly Rav Dessler notes that wealth and physical delights are yetzer horo, they ultimately leave you feeling empty. Modern stats show that extra money doesn't necesarilly boost happiness...it can help at times but when overdone, you just end up needing more, like Shlomo Hamelech noted.
6) Simcha does not mean always being in a happy mood. It's normal to be down sometimes-the q is how can we make oursleves "happier".
7) Simcha is in our machshava, as the Baal Shem Tov pointed out. It's not some out there phillisophical concept, it is within reach, and we can choose to.
8) Who is the rich man, he who is happy with his lot-your attitude and your focus will determine your happiness level.
9) Happiness in the Torah always comes is associated with shleymut. Finding your marriage partner or sharing with family.
10) As Rav Hirsch pointed out Simcha is associated with growth...
and this is best demonstrated by Victor Frankl's search for meaning.
11) Youre already happy! Just dont blow it!
11) Rosh Hashana is the time when we pray for Simcha LeArtzeycha, Simcha is ultmately a gift from Hashem...
12) Think about that happ man, what happy habit can we start practicing today?
Accountability partners? Whatsapp me your plan and when. You must continue your habit, and check it off every night after night seder. At end of the week show up with the chart checked off and you get a sticker!!! It can be last weeks habit or it can be a new one.
A) 1st off Simcha is an emotional state, a state of mind, which needs to be experienced to be understood.
You know what chocolate is because you have experienced it, and you know what Simcha is too.
B) The goal is not to be a "happy person"-noone is ever always in a happy mood. And if you were-that might be a problem! It's natural to be down sometimes. "Rav Shlomo quoting Rav Nachman, even when you are sad, don't stop being happy. The goal of this class is to give us tools towards being happier. For injecting more joy into our lives and helping us bounce back out of our sad moods faster.
What Simcha is not!
Shlomo Hamelech says and to that Simcha who needs it!
B) Simcha is Not just fun, not just a "high". That is a lower level of joy.
(Shlomo Hamelech's 1st Simcha), similar to a flies in the club...
Simcha is a state of being deeper than that, a state which is associated with spiritual tranquility.
C) Simcha is a state of mind Machshava equals Simcha. Simcha is just a thought away. It's not some epheral concept high in the sky. It's in our brains and our choices will determine how much Simcha we experience. Simcha is a choice.
Who is a rich man? The one who is happy with his lot. With his specific lot that g-d has given him.
D) The talmud says a man without a wife is not truly joyous. Shleymut is associated with Simcha.
It is impossinble to define adequately what happiness is since happiness is an emotional state, which is an experience and not a concept, Emotions are comprised of physiological states and only a person who has experienced them can know what they are.
(ב) השמחה. המידה הזאת באה לאדם מחמת רוב שלווה בלבו בלי פגע רע.
ואדם המשיג תאוותו, ולא יארע לו דבר המעציב אותו – בזה יהיה לו שמחה תדיר. ומי שיש בו שמחה תדיר – יאירו פניו, וזיוו מבהיק, וגופו בריא, ואין זקנה ממהרת לבוא עליו. ומן השמחה יבוא שחוק לאדם...
(2) The quality of Joy comes to a man out of the peace and security in his heart without an evil happening clouding it. And a man who achieves his desire without a sad event to mar it will be happy always, and his face will glow and his radiance will gleam, and his body will be healthy and old age will not quickly come upon him, as it is said: "A merry heart is good (healing) medicine" (Prov. 17:22). From joy will come laughter, but it is not fitting for an intelligent man to laugh too much, for with too much laughter goes a frivolous mind, as it is said: "For as the crackling of thorns under a pot so is the laughter of the fool" (Eccl. 7:6). And it has already been said that one of the signs of a fool is that he laughs when and where laughter is not proper. And it is not fitting for one who has the obligation of correcting others to conduct himself laughingly at meetings or gatherings, for the sages have said concerning him, "He who laughs much loses the respect of others, for when he laughs, another is unable to revere him (with the reverence due his teacher i.e.) with the fear of Heaven. Therefore, a man should reprove and strengthen himself not to laugh at the slightest pretext, nor should he acquire a teacher or companion who is given to much laughter, as it is said : "I did not sit in the assembly of them that make merry and rejoice" (Jer. 15:17). And it is written : "In all sadness there is some profit" (Prov. 14:23) (something to be learned or gained).
(ח) אתה וביתך. א"ר תנחום א"ר חנילאי, כל יהודי שאין לו אשה שרוי בלא שמחה, שנאמר ושמחת אתה וביתך.(יבמות ס"ב ב')
... ומשמע דא"א לאדם יחידי לשמוח שמחה אמתית כשהוא לבדו.
(יז) הח', בשמחה. כי השמחה מדה גדולה, כי כאשר האדם הוא בשמחה הוא בשלימות, ועל ידי זה מקבל התורה, שהיא שלימות האדם. וכאשר האדם בצער, ואז* הוא בחסרון, אין מקבל התורה, שהיא שלימות האדם.
(ה) כִּֽי־יִקַּ֥ח אִישׁ֙ אִשָּׁ֣ה חֲדָשָׁ֔ה לֹ֤א יֵצֵא֙ בַּצָּבָ֔א וְלֹא־יַעֲבֹ֥ר עָלָ֖יו לְכׇל־דָּבָ֑ר נָקִ֞י יִהְיֶ֤ה לְבֵיתוֹ֙ שָׁנָ֣ה אֶחָ֔ת וְשִׂמַּ֖ח אֶת־אִשְׁתּ֥וֹ אֲשֶׁר־לָקָֽח׃
(ב) וּלְשִׂמְחָ֖ה מַה־זֹּ֥ה עֹשָֽׂה?׃
Of merriment, “What good is that?”
(טו) וְשִׁבַּ֤חְתִּֽי אֲנִי֙ אֶת־הַשִּׂמְחָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֨ר אֵֽין־ט֤וֹב לָֽאָדָם֙ תַּ֣חַת הַשֶּׁ֔מֶשׁ כִּ֛י אִם־לֶאֱכֹ֥ל וְלִשְׁתּ֖וֹת וְלִשְׂמ֑וֹחַ וְה֞וּא יִלְוֶ֣נּוּ בַעֲמָל֗וֹ יְמֵ֥י חַיָּ֛יו אֲשֶׁר־נָֽתַן־ל֥וֹ הָאֱלֹהִ֖ים תַּ֥חַת הַשָּֽׁמֶשׁ׃
אָמַר רַב יְהוּדָה בְּרֵיהּ דְּרַב שְׁמוּאֵל בַּר שִׁילַת מִשְּׁמֵיהּ דְּרַב: בִּקְּשׁוּ חֲכָמִים לִגְנוֹז סֵפֶר קֹהֶלֶת מִפְּנֵי שֶׁדְּבָרָיו סוֹתְרִין זֶה אֶת זֶה...כְּתִיב ״וְשִׁבַּחְתִּי אֲנִי אֶת הַשִּׂמְחָה״, וּכְתִיב ״וּלְשִׂמְחָה מַה זֹּה עוֹשָׂה! לָא קַשְׁיָא... ״וְשִׁבַּחְתִּי אֲנִי אֶת הַשִּׂמְחָה״ — שִׂמְחָה שֶׁל מִצְוָה. ״וּלְשִׂמְחָה מַה זֹּה עוֹשָׂה״ — זוֹ שִׂמְחָה שֶׁאֵינָהּ שֶׁל מִצְוָה. לְלַמֶּדְךָ שֶׁאֵין שְׁכִינָה שׁוֹרָה לֹא מִתּוֹךְ עַצְבוּת וְלֹא מִתּוֹךְ עַצְלוּת וְלֹא מִתּוֹךְ שְׂחוֹק וְלֹא מִתּוֹךְ קַלּוּת רֹאשׁ וְלֹא מִתּוֹךְ שִׂיחָה וְלֹא מִתּוֹךְ דְּבָרִים בְּטֵלִים, אֶלָּא מִתּוֹךְ דְּבַר שִׂמְחָה שֶׁל מִצְוָה... אָמַר רַב יְהוּדָה: וְכֵן לִדְבַר הֲלָכָה.
Of merriment, “What good is that?”
(3) I ventured to tempt my flesh with wine, and to grasp folly, while letting my mind direct with wisdom, to the end that I might learn which of the two was better for men to practice in their few days of life under heaven. (4) I multiplied my possessions. I built myself houses and I planted vineyards. (5) I laid out gardens and groves, in which I planted every kind of fruit tree. (6) I constructed pools of water, enough to irrigate a forest shooting up with trees. (7) I bought male and female slaves, and I acquired stewards. I also acquired more cattle, both herds and flocks, than all who were before me in Jerusalem. (8) I further amassed silver and gold and treasures of kings and provinces; and I got myself male and female singers, as well as the luxuries of commoners—coffers and coffers of them. (9) Thus, I gained more wealth than anyone before me in Jerusalem. In addition, my wisdom remained with me: (10) I withheld from my eyes nothing they asked for, and denied myself no enjoyment; rather, I got enjoyment out of all my wealth. And that was all I got out of my wealth. (11) Then my thoughts turned to all the fortune my hands had built up, to the wealth I had acquired and won—and oh, it was all futile and pursuit of wind; there was no real value under the sun! (12) For what will the man be like who will succeed the one who is ruling-d over what was built up long ago?
My thoughts also turned to appraising wisdom and madness and folly.
כשהוא אוכל ושותה חייב להאכיל (דברים ט"ז) לגר ליתום ולאלמנה עם שאר העניים האמללים. אבל מי שנועל דלתות חצרו ואוכל ושותה הוא ובניו ואשתו ואינו מאכיל ומשקה לעניים ולמרי נפש אין זו שמחת מצוה אלא שמחת כריסו, ועל אלו נאמר (הושע ט') זבחיהם כלחם אונים להם כל אוכליו יטמאו כי לחמם לנפשם, ושמחה כזו קלון היא להם שנאמר (מלאכי ב') וזריתי פרש על פניכם פרש חגיכם.
הנה הא דאין שמחה אלא בבשר ויין ובגדי צבעונים לאו דמקיים בזה עיקר מצות שמחה דחיוב דברים אלו אינו אלא משום שהם מעוררים לשמחה, אבל עיקר מצות שמחה היא לשמוח בהשם.
(א) ויש הבדל בין שמחה ששון גיל, הששון הוא הפעולות החיצונות שיעשה להראות השמחה, כמו תוף וכנור ומחול וכדומה, והשמחה והגיל הם נפשיים, לבד שהשמחה היא השמחה התמידיית הרצופה, והגיל הוא על דבר שנתחדש כמו מציאה או בשורה טובה.
“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”
(ט) וַיְבִאֵ֖נוּ אֶל־הַמָּק֣וֹם הַזֶּ֑ה וַיִּתֶּן־לָ֙נוּ֙ אֶת־הָאָ֣רֶץ הַזֹּ֔את אֶ֛רֶץ זָבַ֥ת חָלָ֖ב וּדְבָֽשׁ׃ (י) וְעַתָּ֗ה הִנֵּ֤ה הֵבֵ֙אתִי֙ אֶת־רֵאשִׁית֙ פְּרִ֣י הָאֲדָמָ֔ה אֲשֶׁר־נָתַ֥תָּה לִּ֖י יְהֹוָ֑ה וְהִנַּחְתּ֗וֹ לִפְנֵי֙ יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ וְהִֽשְׁתַּחֲוִ֔יתָ לִפְנֵ֖י יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶֽיךָ׃ (יא) וְשָׂמַחְתָּ֣ בְכׇל־הַטּ֗וֹב אֲשֶׁ֧ר נָֽתַן־לְךָ֛ יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ וּלְבֵיתֶ֑ךָ אַתָּה֙ וְהַלֵּוִ֔י וְהַגֵּ֖ר אֲשֶׁ֥ר בְּקִרְבֶּֽךָ׃ {ס}
A happy person can also be sad sometimes. That’s okay. But the most important thing is that even while you are sad, don’t stop being happy.
Perhaps the nuanced distinction between the two synonyms, simcha and sason, is based on their etymological cognates. In his commentary on Tehillim (14:7), Rabbi S. R. Hirsch links the root of sameach with the word tzemach, flower. A flower blossoms beautifully. Large petals grow on a flower each spring, the peak of vegetative splendor.
Philosopher Robert Nozik asked in his book Anarchy, State and Utopia:
If you could take a pill and feel like we are experiencing any experience we could desire-would you take that pill?
The question is not whether I am happy, the question is how can I be happier?
Carl Rogers:
The good life is a process, not a state of being. It is a direction, not a destination.