The Test of Faith: How to Achieve True Joy?

Who will praise and who can describe the greatness of "joy" and how good it is for both body and soul? It is difficult to acquire like golden vessels and easy to lose like glassware. Indeed, not everyone can attain this wonderful trait, yet we must—at the very least—flee from the enemies of joy.

The verse states (Psalms 97:11): "Light is sown for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart."

As explained by Rabbi Raphael Samson Hirsch, of blessed memory: "God made man upright, but they have sought many schemes" (Ecclesiastes 7:29) — 'many schemes' are the enemies of joy that people create for themselves with their numerous calculations.

There are many enemies of joy, including the numerous calculations that man seeks, failing to establish for themselves a path of faith and simplicity in Hashem, instead seeking counsel within themselves and solving problems only through accidental and natural causes, thus distancing their heart from Hashem.

Like I once heard from the righteous Rabbi Yeshayah Aryeh Klein, of blessed memory, one of the elders of the previous generation, an explanation on the verse "How long, Hashem, will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long shall I seek counsel in my soul?", where King David, may his memory be blessed, says: Master of the World, I know 'how long will you forget me forever?' and I know 'how long will you hide your face from me?' and it is 'until I seek counsel in my soul'. That is, as long as I resort to counsel within myself and seek solutions in the various schemes of time. But when I decide that I have no advice but to cry out to You and understand that only You can help me—then I knew that Your anger will turn away from me, and You will not forget me nor hide Your face from me. This reflects Hashem's way—measure for measure, when a man forgets Hashem, he places himself in a situation of 'how long, Hashem, will you forget me forever?', and also when he hides his face from Hashem and searches for advice, he is in the situation of 'how long will you hide your face from me?', but when he removes the advice from his soul—sorrow and sighing depart from him.

True Joy vs. False Joy

So far, we have spoken about a person who seeks his healing through natural causes and goes about seeking advice to extricate himself from his situation while ignoring Hashem.

All the more so is the error of a person who goes from bad to worse in search of healing his soul — joy — in foreign fields, joy of hedonism, joy of immorality, thinking that this will bring remedy to his aching soul.

The holy texts mention that most mental pains — depressions, fears, and anxiety — stem from a flaw in holiness, such as looking at women, mingling of men and women, frivolity, lightheadedness, conversations with women, and immodesty in women who fail and lead others astray, becoming a pitfall for the sons and daughters of Israel, taking away their peace of mind.

The Gemara (Sanhedrin 75a) relates a story of a man who fell ill with love for a certain woman, and the doctors said his cure was to speak with her. The sages said: Let him die and not speak with her, even from behind a fence.

The sages knew that speaking with a woman is a grave enemy to the soul, and even if it seems to bring healing to the sick soul, it ends up causing a severe mental illness worse than before, to the extent that he should rather die, as he is destined to suffer due to this sin more painful body and soul afflictions than what he endures now.

Light is Sown for the Righteous, and Joy for the Upright in Heart

People go to psychiatrists to calm and heal their depression, and sometimes their advice is to go to places of entertainment, to watch movies and forbidden sights. Oh, what a tragedy! How is it possible to heal the disease by ingesting its very bacteria? Indeed, these are the sharpest causes of mental illness, directly harming a person's soul and mind, dulling them, removing their understanding and peace of mind.

Therefore, one who desires to achieve joy should beware and guard against counterfeit happiness, and know to distinguish between true joy and false joy, which ultimately leads to sorrow and lamentation. Every mitzvah, every act of kindness, every engagement in the Torah, has the power to bring true joy to a person. Strengthening in faith, avoiding sin, complete repentance, heartfelt prayer pouring one's soul to Hashem — these are the beneficial counsel, as expressed by His faithful servants, as it is said: "The precepts of Hashem are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of Hashem is pure, enlightening the eyes", "Light is sown for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart."

And truly, anyone who encounters an unfortunate occurrence, may Hashem protect us, and is of sound mind, certainly will not experience evil, except during moments of forgetfulness and interruption of connection, as we found in King David, may his memory be blessed. The measure of forgetfulness and its decrease and extension in time, heaven forbid, will reflect the nature of the event. May the Merciful One protect us. ("Pri ha'aretz" letter 30)

This article is taken from the book "Living in Faith". To purchase Rabbi Yaakov Yisrael Lugasi's book click here.