שמחת לב

 As we approach the Yom Tov of Rosh Hashanah my mantra is “Do what you love and love what you do."

 

Isaac Asimov, the prolific writer, during an interview with Barbara Walters was asked, “How many books did you write?”

He replied, “I don't remember the total, but it was some astronomic figure, but I am sure they were outdated within a short time.”

She was very impressed and asked him "Don't you ever want to do anything but write?" His answer was, "No."

She pressed him again, “Don't you ever want to go fishing, or hunting, or dancing, or hiking?

Again, his answer was, “No.”

Ms. Walters continued, “But what would you do if the doctor told you that you have only six months to live?"

Asimov replied, "Type faster".

That was a man who was happy doing what he was doing, and that is the secret of life.

 

The question I pose, “Are we happy in what we are doing?”

Remember well, Destiny is not a matter of chance, it's a matter of choice.

 

Our Torah portion this week is Ki Tavo, wherein we read 

״ושמחת בכל הטוב אשר נתן לך הי אלוקיך ולביתך ....״

"You shall rejoice in all the good that The Lord your G-D has granted you and your family"

 

Rav Kook defines Simcha as “Something that comes from the perception that someunexpected gift has befallen us. We feel joy in serving Hashem when we are aware of the tremendous privilege in being able to connect to G-D - a gift far beyond our true level. Awareness of this amazing gift, while at the same time feeling that our service is appropriate and suitable, allows us to feel both Simcha and Tov Lev.

This connection is a result of recognizing the divine source of our soul and it's inherent holiness, even though it may have become somewhat mundane through contact with the material world.

 

However, there are times when In the midst of Great Joy the world comes crumbling down upon us as a result of an evil that lurks in the dark that has resided in our midst. 

This was evident on September 11, 2001.  It is a day etched in our memory of horrors.

Who can ever forget that day of infamy when  our twin towers were taken down by ruthless murdering terrorists, who took innocent lives, only because they were Americans who lived by the sacred belief in the holiness and preservation of mankind.

 

In the midst of this mourning experience we continue to search for the true meaning of life. We search for happiness. We search for Simcha.

 

In our search we begin to realize that life is in the living. Life is in the tissue of every day and hour of our existence. With these thoughts in mind we begin to prioritize our goals and aspirations for ourselves and for our families.

 

Dovid Hamelech said it well, "Blessed be Hashem for everyday".

 

This idea is brought home in Thornton Wilders’ most poignant drama, Our Town. He relates how the main character of the book, Emily, is permitted to relive a day of her childhood, even after her death. When she does, she begins to realize how she failed to appreciate how beautiful her life was and then cries out, “Life goes so fast that we do not appreciate every moment.  We don't have time to look at one another, to see the beauty around us, to appreciate our Mama and Papa, our new ironed dresses and the delicious food that Mama prepared for us. Do any human beings even realize life while they live it? Every minute, every minute?."

 

 Indeed, at these times we begin to think of how to invest our time? We are encouraged that every dawn that ushers in a new day is an opportunity to live life in such a positive way that as we look back we have no regrets of what we didn't do - but rather feel great Simcha in what we did do, to make life more meaningful and more productive.

 

Simcha to me is what we bring to life that counts, not just what life throws at us.

Happiness is a state of mind and it lies within each one of us and sometimes we need to dig deeper into ourselves to find it, the result is truly, worthwhile.

 

Permit me to conclude with a story that emphasis this idea; A man once stood on a hill overlooking a valley and In the distance he saw a golden mountain. Overawed by what he saw he hiked to that impressive mountain. After climbing the mountain he discovered that the mountain from which he descended was now gleaming and that it was really the sun rays which made it glow.

 

Too often we see Simcha on the other mountain while all along it was within ourselves. 

 

We are all Blessed, for we possess the source of our Happiness. Blessed is the one who can find that Simcha.