Chazal tell us’ משנכנס אדר מרבים בשמחה’. One explanation to ‘מרבים’ is that we should add more and more simcha, until we are overflowing with Simcha.
The Mefarshim pose a question: Why is it that Chazal are telling us to increase our Simcha in Adar, more than any other month? If it is because we are preparing for Purim – for which the mitzva is Simcha, there are other months of the year that also have the Mitzva of Simcha. For example, the month of Tishrei which contains the Yom Tov of Sukkos, which is זמן שמחתינו!
So, we will begin with the words of רש״י that are going on the words of Chazal’משנכנס אדר מרבים בשמחה’. Rashi says in תענית that it is referring to Chodesh ניסן as well. Rashi seems to bring Pesach into the picture. However, it is still puzzling – why is it more than Sukkos, as we asked?
To understand this, let us get a glimpse of the great Yom tov of Pesach, based on the insights of Reb Shimshon Pincus zt”l. He explains that Pesach is the time when Kllal Yisroel was created. It is the birth of Kllal Yisroel. (Rosh Hashana is considered the yetzira.) At this time, Hashem extracted us from Mitzrayim – similar to a לידה.
Based on this concept, Reb Shimshon gives a lengthy understanding to many Mitzvos and customs that we have on Pesach. One example I would like to highlight is the Mitzva of חמץ. The obvious question is that if Chametz is not good for us, why do we eat it year round? If it is okay, why is it forbidden on Pesach?
However, based on the understanding that Pesach is the time that Kllal Yisroel is reborn, we can understand this. You don’t give a newborn adults’ food when he is born; he will not be able to eat or process it! Hashem has prepared the most healthy and appropriate food for the newborn; the mother’s milk.
Similarly, Pesach was the time Kllal Yisroel was born, and when we enter Pesach each year, we have an opportunity to be reborn again – which means, on a practical level, to have our personal יציאת מצרים.
Therefore, due to our fragility at this at this time, we refrain from Chametz which represents the Yetzer Hara. Although all year round we can eat chametz – and conquer him, at this time, we must distance ourselves from even a drop of the Yetzer hara. The avoda of Pesach is to remain focused on אהבת ה’, and this is highlighted in the mitzva of סיפור יציאת מצרים.
With this in mind, I would like to point out something very interesting. Whenever there is a beginning of something, we make a simcha.
When a baby is born, we make a tremendous simcha. When a boy becomes Bar Mitzva – and joins the ranks of Hashem’s army, we make a great simcha – as he enters the עול המצות.
When a young couple get married, we make a tremendous simcha – as we elaborated in a previous article. After the festive wedding, we continue strong for seven days – with feasts and many speeches.
When the Bais Hamikdash was inaugurated, Shlomo Hamelech made a seven-day simcha. Incidentally, that year, they did not fast on Yom Kippur – which came out during their celebration.
And similarly, when a child begins learning Chumash, we make a Chumash Seuda; we are celebrating the beginning of his entry to Torah learning.
What is the idea behind all of this? The seforim teach us that all beginnings of a journey – for spirituality – are crucial for the success of the journey. We also know that simcha is the key to success in spirituality. For example, a person who does mitzvos with joy, is on a different realm. A marriage that is full of simcha, is bound to be successful and meaningful. This is a basic principle.
Similarly, we can perhaps say that Chodesh Adar is a preparation for Chodesh Nissan, and as we mentioned earlier, Pesach is like the birth of Kllal Yisroel. Therefore, our goal at this time is that when Pesach arrives, we should be overflowing with joy. This in turn will launch us and mold us to become happy people.
Now, simcha does not seem grow on trees, yet Rav Avigdor Miller teaches us that indeed it does! The trees and its fruits can bring us much simcha, as is well known that Rav Miller would elaborate greatly on this.
We will discuss several points, based on his concepts be”H.
Rav Miller gives us a great insight in how to attain simcha. He explains that happiness can be a built up of various maters transpiring in our lives. Therefore, even if we have much in life, but if we are not aware of these blessings, then it will not bring us joy. In a sense, it becomes as if it is not there!
I once heard a story that took place during WWII with Rav Chaim Kreisworth zt”l. A very wealthy person approached Rav Chaim in the camps with the following request. He explained that he had millions of rubles (or whichever currency) in a Swiss bank. Since he was in the camps and he was very weak, he felt that he would not make it. However, he had an only son whom he hoped would survive the War. He asked Rav Chaim if he could memorize the account number (or he wrote it down), and give it to his son so he could acclaim the wealth. Rav Chaim readily agreed.
After the war, Rav Chaim searched and searched, but could not locate the man’s son. Many years passed, and one fine day, Rav Chaim came across a beggar who looked vaguely familiar. When the beggar told him his name, Rav Chaim became very excited! This was the very man he had been searching for, all these years!
Rav Chaim gave the shocked beggar the numbers, and told him the entire story. In one moment, this beggar went from rags to riches!
We see from this story that one can be sitting on a huge treasure, but can still be a beggar. After all, as long as he is not aware of his riches he “does not have them”.
Similarly, Rav Avigdor Miller says that we are all sitting on billions of dollars! What would one be willing to pay if he had liver failure R”l? Millions and billions! Likewise, if needed a new heart! So, even from a materialistic point of view, we are all rich people.
However, as in the story, it will not bring us any joy if we don’t think about it. Especially since we cannot see it or even feel many of our organs! However, if we begin to think about it and we become full of joy, then we are rich people.
Perhaps this is what Chazal were alluding to when they said איזהו עשיר השמח בחלקו. Someone who acknowledges what he has and he is joyful with it (with his body), he truly is wealthy.
Moreover, when we think about the precious חלק אלו-ה ממעל, the holy Torah, Shabbos Kodesh and all the mitzvos that we have, that should raise our joy to tremendous heights. The privilege that we have to be servants to the Creator of the universe cannot be taken for granted.
So, we have learnt that to be joyful, we must be aware of all the gifts that we have.
We are now heading into Chodesh Adar II; we want to become joyful people. How can we make it practical and become full of Simcha?
Obviously, learning about bitachon is ideal to becoming joyful, and for many other reasons as well. Therefore, for starters, sit down with a partner or with a shiur or even yourself, and get started. There are ספרים, books and even hotlines about it.
However, we are discussing now another approach based on Rav Miller. He explains that if you start thinking about the gifts that Hashem has bestowed upon you and you try to become happy with it, this is an achievement. You are becoming a happier person. When you focus on different organs or possessions, you will become happier.
After going through your many gifts and feeling some joy with each one of them, it will start accumulating. Before you know it, you will become a joyful person.
Based on this concept, I would like to present a novel program for the next forty five days leading up to Pesach, (and of course it be extended beyond). It is pretty simple but very effective.
Take out a paper or notebook and write down forty-five different gifts that Hashem has bestowed you. It can be related to your body, or spirituality as well – or a combination of both. Now you are ready to begin.
Each day you will place a focus on that gift.
There are two parts to this:
1. Quantity 2. Quality. Let us give an example.
Suppose for day number one, you chose to thank Hashem for your heart. The quantity represents the basic thank you – that is to thank Hashem for your heart throughout the day. Then you can up the level by studying what the heart does. This will increase your appreciation for this tremendous gift, this amazing machine that is so effective. Start feeling joy as you think about all this, and you will become a joyful person.
The world is becoming more and more dangerous as we are watching the current events unfold before our eyes. What is astonishing is that the escalation has happened in Chodesh Adar (Ukraine). This seems to be a contradiction to the Avoda of this month! However, this is not so. During the Pandemic of Covid – when people were becoming full of fear, Rav Moshe Sorotzkin Shlit”a quoted Rav Akiva Eiger who said that during a pandemic, one should work on simcha. Now this seems to be astonishing! But Rav Akiva Eiger was not saying that we should be joyful with the pandemic. He wasn’t either saying that we should be joyful and indulge in worldly pleasures. He was saying that simcha helps one’s health – and depression does the opposite R”l, and as we are saying, one of the ways to simcha is to focus on all the positive aspects in our life.
Furthermore, we need to work on Emuna and Bitachon which brings us to Simcha as well as we explained.
We know that the time preceding the rebuilding the second Bais Hamikdash, was the story of Morechai and Esther. The Megilla testifies that ליהודים היתה – אורה ושמחה – וששון ויקר. Ultimately, this led to the Geula with the second Bais Hamikdash. The Bais Hamikdash is the true source of joy in this world, as it says “משוש כל הארץ”.
Perhaps we can suggest that their joy was a prerequisite for the second Bais Hamikdash. It is joy that we need to build the Bais Hamikdash. It is with the simcha of the building of the first Bais Hamikdash that was דוחה Yom Kippur. The power of simchas and ahava is awesome!
Therefore, at this time we can attain, once again, a geula with all the splendor at this time. With the thoughts of anticipation for the geula, and with the reality that the chances of Mashiach coming now are very high; although we see danger in the world, but at the same time we know that it is part of the process for geula. This should bring us a great anticipation and joy.
I would like to conclude with a bracha to our readers that we should all dance our way through Adar and Nissan. We should also dance our way to greet Mashiach Tzidkeinu with hearts overflowing with praise and love for Hashem and His children, and with Bitachon. Then we will make our way to the Bais Hamikdash which is the wellspring of simcha to bring out our love and joy deeper and deeper, Amen!
Beautiful! Very well written!