In the Sefer Chareidim, the author reveals that he merited the Divine Spirit and all his achievements in wisdom as a reward for always serving Hashem with joy and happiness.
When one contemplates all the misfortunes in our sedra, it is a cause for trepidation, yet the Torah states clearly that these adversities are “because you did not serve Hashem, your G-d, amid gladness and goodness of heart, when everything was abundant” (Devarim 28:47). This is to say, that although the individual observed the Torah and fulfilled the mitzvos, he did not do so with happiness and joy.
The Sefer Moser Derech asks: Why is it so important for a person to serve Hashem with joy? After all, surely a person who fulfills mitzvos without being happy is also serving Hashem.
Rabbi Moshe Chodosh, the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Ohr Elchonon, says it is incumbent upon us to exert ourselves to always serve Hashem with happiness in order to achieve higher spiritual levels. We learn (Shabbos 30b) that the Divine Presence does not dwell in an atmosphere of sadness, laziness, or frivolity, but only in an atmosphere imbued with the joy of a mitzvah. The Talmud cites the story with Elisha, who was angered by Yehoram’s idol worship to the point where the Divine Spirit departed from the prophet. The pasuk tells us (Melachim II, 3:15) that Elisha summoned a musician “and it came to pass, when the musician played, the hand of the L-rd came upon him.”
Rashi comments that it is a mitzvah to bring about the Divine Presence, and the way to do so is with simcha, gladness of heart. Unhappiness, on the other hand, causes the Divine Presence to retreat, and with its departure there is a loss of spiritual and material Heavenly Assistance. One who is happy upholding Torah and mitzvos will strive higher, fulfilling more mitzvos and learning more Torah. One who observes Torah and mitzvos amid sadness, however, will lack the inner strength to endure and his performance of mitzvos will be perfunctory.
As we seek to arouse the great mercy of Hashem at this time of year, we learn that one of the ways of bringing merit to our lives is to accept upon ourselves to serve Hashem with happiness. It engenders happiness in Heaven and has the power to annul all harsh judgments. May Hashem bless us that our hearts should be filled with the love and joy of doing Hashem’s will, and may we all merit to be written in the Book of the Righteous for life.
It was a few weeks before Sukkot in Lechovitch, and day after day was filled with incessant torrents of rain. One day, there was a knock on the door of the home of the holy Rav Mordche of Lechovitch. When he opened the door, he saw a wet and bedraggled man in tattered clothing standing on his doorstep. Rabbi Mordche brought him in and gave him some food and a warm drink.
After a few minutes, the poor man said: “I heard that you gather boards each year to give out to those do not have materials for a sukkah. It is almost erev Sukkot, and I don’t have anything.”
Rav Mordche was in a quandary and didn’t know how to respond. He would do anything to help this poor man, but all the boards that had been collected had already been disbursed. He had nothing in reserve. He didn’t even know anyone who had any boards to give away. He sadly told the poor man the truth, who thanked him kindly and left.
After the beggar departed, Rav Mordche began to cry. “Master of the world, look how dear the mitzvah of sukkah is to Your people. The rain is pouring outside, the streets are muddy with big puddles of water, and this poor man only wants one thing in life: to fulfill the mitzvah of sukkah with joy. Please, Hashem, look down from Heaven and spread out Your sukkah of peace upon the Jewish People.”
When the Lechovitcher finished his prayer, he decided to make one more foray through the streets of the town in an attempt to find some boards. As he plodded through the rain, he noticed an abandoned building. He climbed up the stairs and came across a number of discarded boards lying about.
He ran home and quickly sent a messenger to find the poor man and help him build his sukkah.
