B"H
Wednesday, Adar 1, 5780 / February 26, 2020
Today is the second day of Rosh Chodesh Adar. Purim is in two weeks, Monday night March 9th & Tuesday March 10th. Also, Pesach (Passover) is around the corner, in 6 weeks.
As mentioned yesterday, the month of Adar is a very special month. The Talmud tells us, “Mishenichnas Adar marbin B’Simcha.” “When [the month of] Adar comes we increase in happiness.”
Although we must serve G-d with joy and happiness through the entire year, yet, we increase our Simcha-happiness during the month of Adar. The reason is that the miracle of Purim took place in the month of Adar.
Simcha-happiness is a very important part of Judaism and serving G-d. King David in Psalm 100 says, "Ivdu et Hashem B'Simcha bo'u l'fanav birnana," - "Serve G-d with happiness, come before Him with joyous song."
Every mitzvah performed with happiness not only enhances the mitzvah, it also shows our appreciation to G-d for the opportunity to observe it. It shows that the mitzvot are a privilage and not a burden.
Our sages tell us that Simcha (happiness) comes from Kedusha (holiness), whereas sadness and dejection comes from the "other side."
According to the teachings of the Tanya, sadness and dejection are of the most powerful tactics of the Yetzer Hara (evil inclination). Through them, the Yetzer Hara traps a person into losing the will and strength to overcome any obstacles which may appear on the road of Torah and mitzvot. As a result, the person will fall deeper into the clutches of the Yetzer Hara.
The Tanya explains this concept with a parable of two people engaged in battle. If one of the fighters is dejected and the other happy and in good spirits, the happy person will be faster and have more energy to win the battle--even if his opponent is stronger.
Feelings of dejection and sadness take away one's will power and strength and will cause them to fail. This applies to everything in life, especially when it comes to serving G-d.
Our sages explain that every person finds himself in the middle of a constant battle between good and evil. Therefore, a person must always be on guard to make the right decisions. However, this can only be achieved when the person is in control. To be in full control, one must think positive, feel positive and be happy.
"Think good and things will be good!" a Rebbe told his Chassid. The Chassid had a child who was so ill that the doctors had all given up hope. However, the Chassid listened to the Rebbe's directive and thought only positive. Eventually, his son became well. As we enter the month of Adar we should increase in happiness, think positive and things will be positive!
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY & SUCCESSFUL DAY
& INCREASINGLY HAPPY WONDERFUL CHODESH-MONTH