(ב) עִבְד֣וּ אֶת־ה' בְּשִׂמְחָ֑ה בֹּ֥אוּ לְ֝פָנָ֗יו בִּרְנָנָֽה׃
(2) Serve Hashem with happiness; come into His presence with shouts of joy.
Life is full of intense pleasures which are available to all people, but many fail to appreciate them … the air, water, sunlight, wind, rain, trees and gardens, the mountains and the seas, the moon and the stars, fire, heat and cold, the snow and the dew, the use of our limbs, the ability to see and hear and smell and taste and feel, the faculty of speech, the faculty of thought and memory, the variety of food of every taste and color, the marvel of the body’s secretions and all of its magnificent chemistry … The universal benefits which all men possess are ignored … It is only when one is about to leave the world that he looks back with regret, too late, at all that he possessed but failed to enjoy.
(י) הִֽתְהַֽלְלוּ֙ בְּשֵׁ֣ם קָדְשׁ֔וֹ יִשְׂמַ֕ח לֵ֖ב מְבַקְשֵׁ֥י ה'
(10) Exult in His holy name; let all who seek Hashem rejoice.
Next to love of God, all other pleasures are insignificant. We can have delicious pizza, lots of money, Judaism and Being Happy Personal Growth and Development 5 love, and power. But humans yearn to transcend the mundane side of daily life. That’s why mystery, magic, and miracles capture our imaginations. When all is said and done, no human being can be truly satisfied unless he reaches out and connects with the infinite transcendent dimension. We all seek to connect with that which encompasses all pleasures. Because nothing finite, nothing bound up in this world, can compare to the infinite.
(ו) יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן פְּרַחְיָה וְנִתַּאי הָאַרְבֵּלִי קִבְּלוּ מֵהֶם. יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן פְּרַחְיָה אוֹמֵר, עֲשֵׂה לְךָ רַב, וּקְנֵה לְךָ חָבֵר, וֶהֱוֵי דָן אֶת כָּל הָאָדָם לְכַף זְכוּת:
(6) Yehoshua ben Perachiah and Nitai of Arbel received from them. Yehoshua ben Perachia says, "Make for yourself a mentor, acquire for yourself a friend and judge every person as meritorious."
רבינו יונה: לשלשה דברים צריך האדם אל החבר הטוב...השלישי לענין העצה שיקחנו להיות לו מעיר לעזור לו בכל עניניו ולקחת ממנו עצה טובה ולהיות בן סודו...
Rabbeinu Yonah: One needs a good friend for several purposes … One benefit is that of receiving sound advice. When one has a good friend he is able to take counsel with him and seek assistance in all areas. A friend also serves as a confidant …
שהבטלה מביאה לידי שיעמום:
Idleness leads to dull-mindedness."
The real definition of happiness is the response you feel when you are: 1. Moving toward a meaningful destination 2. Along a correct path 3. Against resistance, and 4. You are making progress.
Respond to success. Genuine humility increases in proportion to the humble person's success. Even as G-d bestows great fortune upon him, the humble man does not grow proud. He responds to success by increasing his devotion to G-d.