Rabbi Yigal Cohen – It's Not Simple to Be a Simple Jew

Here's some good advice for you, dear scholar: I searched and found no commandment in the Torah or the commentaries demanding that one be the greatest in the knowledge of Torah, or the most righteous in piety, nor the greatest in deeds of kindness. Rather, our obligation is simply to bring joy to the Creator of the universe. If it occurs that Hashem's will is for you to learn only a single page of Gemara today, or even just a few chapters of Tehillim, accept His reign and guidance, and praise and thank Him for the privilege to serve the King of Kings.

May we be blessed to be simple Jews who do not constantly question the Creator's guidance and understand that being a great leader is His decision. Usually, the desire to be a great leader comes from the honor associated with such a title. Our whole duty in this world is to bring joy to our Creator, and sometimes picking up the broom to help your wife clean the house is what Hashem desires, and even praying alone if needed to help a wife who is unwell, is the prayer that Hashem wants from us.

Worry

In the book "Orchot Tzadikim" (Gate of Joy), it is written that joy comes to a person because of the abundance of tranquility in his heart, and a person who achieves his desires and is not saddened will always be joyful, his face will shine, his body healthy, etc.

A person who worries in his heart cannot be joyful. Let's think together: a Jew who is worried about how he will support his household tomorrow and questions in his heart from where his help will come—if he looks in the mirror at that moment, he will undoubtedly see a person who is not joyful. So too, a Jew worried that the dreadful disease or any other types of ailments will not befall him will have difficulty finding true joy.

The same will be true for a girl worried, "Perhaps I won't find the boy of my dreams?"

And so a woman yet to conceive—worried—"Perhaps I won't merit to conceive?"

And so regarding the worried young man, sadness is likely more prevalent than joy.

A sure way to reach sadness is to turn on the radio and listen to the news that starts with "Good evening," and ends with convincing us how the evening is not good, adding yet another reason to worry, and a person inclined to excessive worry would do best not to listen to news at all, for he can contribute nothing anyway.

The "Orchot Tzadikim" continues, writing that the remedy for human worries is trust (bitachon), as King David wrote in Tehillim (112:7) "He shall not fear bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in Hashem." I've elaborated extensively in the sections on trust; check there and discover that we need not worry about anything in the world, only to fulfill the will of our Creator, leaving other concerns to Hashem.

Even concerning health, we must trust in the Creator that He shall care for our health, and even for sustenance, leave that worry to the One responsible. So too for good children, the decision lies with the One who brings souls into the world, and for every worry in the world, instead of recounting our worries and troubles to Hashem, let us proclaim the greatness of the Creator of the world, and the troubles and worries will disappear on their own.

Hatred

If, Heaven forbid, a person harbors hatred in his heart for others, then his joy is dependent on others. If he sees his enemy succeed, even if he has a reason to be happy, seeing his enemy’s success will certainly dispel joy from his heart. And even when passing by someone he doesn't like, he will feel unpleasantness in his heart.

I have already written in the chapter on envy how difficult and detestable it is. In relation to joy, it can cause a person, Heaven forbid, to fall into sadness.

Whenever someone buys a new car, he will be happy and satisfied until he sees his friend buy a more luxurious car, and then the joy will no longer reside in his heart. The same with a woman who has merited to conceive a son, while her friend has twins. Hashem created man with a tendency to envy others, and it's our task to transform envy into admiration.

A Jew who feels lack of love for a particular community within the Jewish people will certainly feel anger and sadness in his heart each time he meets a Jew from that community, and if he sees one of them succeed more than he does, his sorrow will be multiplied manifold.

Sometimes the hatred is truly baseless, for example, a Jew who sits next to us in the synagogue, whom Hashem has endowed with a face not particularly joyful, and even before speaking to him or assessing his character, we already feel repulsion until the first opportunity comes to move elsewhere. And why all this? Because Hashem has decreed that he have a stern countenance.

And indeed, many times after talking to him, we find a very pleasant Jew, enjoyable in his company, and even exceptionally wise. If only we would reflect on why we thought negatively of him, we would find that it's precisely baseless hatred for no fault of his own, and that a face, be it stern or cheerful, does not always reflect the person's character.

If we just strive to find the good in every person and overlook their faults, little by little, we will become Jews who see good in everyone, and the hatred will depart from our hearts, and everyone else's joy will be our joy, and so, with Hashem's help, joy will always reside in our hearts.

The book 'Yagel Libi B'Yeshua' can be found in select stores and at Hidabroot Shops