TIforOA

Sanctify yourself through the permissible... Yevamos 20a

Divrei Torah to provide Chizuk in the struggle to balance spiritual and physical needs.

L'Iluei Nishmas Mirkah Bas Yosef




Saturday, September 18, 2010

Rabbi Leib Kelemen on Sukkas

Sukkas is the next window of opportunity coming up.  The specific mizvah of Sukkas is happiness.  What makes peoplee happy? What is the definition of Simcha?  Simcha is a sign that the person is healthy and everything is functioning properly.  If my body, mind and soul is healthy, I am happy.  What causes simcha is acquisitions. The amount of Simcha you attain from an acquisition depends on how long that acquisition will last,  Spiritual acquisitions last for ever.  But it is hard to see those things.  A person who tries to achieve happiness by buying things is like a princess who marries a peasant and he brings her gifts that are meaningful to him but they are meaningless to to the princess.  Even though it is a mitzva to buy a gift for Yom Tov, the only truly lasting happiness comes from spiritual acquisitions.  Every external gift will eventually be taken away and cause pain, but spiritual gifts last.
You can only internalize Torah when you are truly happy.  When you are happy you are able to internalize Torah and turn it into midos.  In order to grow properly from a Yom Tov, it is necessary to be happy on Yom Tov. Bad things come to us because we are not happy, so we are not able to grow spiritually.  Happiness is a spiritual state of receptiveness of Hashem's goodness.
When you are looking for a Rav, look for someone who is always B'Simcha.

When Hashem is giving us blessing we have to show that we are happy with what he gives us so that he will want to give us more.

from the Shiur:
Sukkos: The Secret of Happiness # KL 546
by Kelemen, Rabbi Leib

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