The Secret of Joy in Mitzvos: The Key to Abundance in This World and the Next

Lesson No. 45 | Tuesday Morning, Parashas Bereishis, 23 Tishrei, Isru Chag Sukkos 5756 (Continued from No. 44)

The Gaon Chida

The Chida states that there are twenty-two conditions required before the fulfillment of each and every mitzvah, and their order corresponds to the letters of the Aleph-Beis. The third condition, corresponding to the letter Gimmel, is "Gilah" (joy)—that a person should rejoice in performing the mitzvah more than thousands of gold and silver coins, and enter into tremendous joy. Every mitzvah requires all twenty-two conditions, but right now we will focus on the condition of joy.

When a person goes to learn Gemara, with Hashem's help, he should learn as much as possible. Regarding this, the Chazon Ish zt"l said that when "Bein HaZmanim" (the intercession break between yeshiva terms) arrives, this is the true test. In the yeshiva, there is a set schedule: a hundred bachurim (yeshiva students) wake up at the same time, learn at the same time, eat, and sleep at the same time. If you are tired, the Mashgiach (spiritual supervisor) tells you to pull yourself together because it is now the learning session. But what happens to a person whose brain works exactly the opposite way? That specifically when everyone is sleeping, his brain starts working?

The Chazon Ish explains that during Bein HaZmanim, you can actually learn twice as much. All the learning in the yeshiva, with the Mashgiach hovering over your head, is merely a preparation for Bein HaZmanim. Now, when there is no Mashgiach and you can sleep whenever you feel like it, let's see you learn. If you truly learn during Bein HaZmanim, we will know that you are a genuine tzaddik. On the contrary, let everyone learn his tractate with a chavrusa (study partner); whoever is awake all night will sleep a little, whoever is tired will go to sleep and wake up to learn, and the verse will truly be fulfilled in him:

"I rejoice over Your word, like one who finds abundant spoil... The Torah of Your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces."

The Reward for Steps Versus the Joy of the Mitzvah

In the sefer "Torah Or," the Baal HaTanya raises a tremendous question. He recounts the story of the wicked Nebuchadnezzar, who took a single step in honor of Hashem and in return received dominion over the entire world, even though he slaughtered half the world. His son, Evil-Merodach, took another step and received half the world. His grandson, Belshazzar, took yet another step and received a quarter or an eighth of the world. It is written that had he taken just one more step, no trace of the world would have remained, until the angel Gabriel came and stopped him.

The Baal HaTanya asks: If such wicked people receive a kingdom for a single step, what is due to a Jew whose entire life consists only of steps toward holiness, dancing, and running after mitzvos? Where will we put his reward? For just one step he should receive dominion over the entire world!

The answer is that for the mitzvah itself, there is no reward that can possibly be contained in this world. The abundance in this world comes from the joy of the mitzvah. The more a person dances and rejoices, the more he draws down this abundance. Hashem establishes a special reward for the joy—for the fact that a person rejoices in the mitzvah even more than the mitzvah itself.

The Wonder of the Shared Attainment of the Tzaddikim

It is a wondrous thing to see the parallel between the words of the Chida and the words of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov. The Chida, who sat in Italy and wrote his sefer "Tehillah LeDavid," writes that a person must rejoice in the mitzvah more than the mitzvah itself. In those exact same years, around the year 5563 (1803), Rebbe Nachman said the exact same words in Uman, in Torah 4 (the teaching of "Chatzotzros" - Trumpets).

Where is there such an expression in any book in the world? To perform the mitzvah with such joy, more than the mitzvah itself! How is it possible that one tzaddik at one end of the world and another tzaddik at the other end of the world write the exact same expression? To reach such an attainment of joy, this can only be written by someone who held onto it, who attained it, and who actually practiced it in reality.

The True Meaning of "The Toil of Your Hands"

Based on this foundation, the Chida explains the most difficult statement in the entire Shas (Talmud):

"Greater is the one who benefits from the toil of his hands than a God-fearing person."

Many people erred in understanding this statement, left the yeshivos, and went to work, because they thought that a person who opens a grocery store, works sixteen hours a day, and earns ten thousand dollars, is greater than an avreich (Torah scholar) who sits and learns. How could such a thing be explained literally?

The Chida explains: "The one who benefits from the toil of his hands"—this refers to a person who toils in the mitzvah! He toils, dances, rejoices, and makes an effort to be happy. In contrast, the "God-fearing person" sits and learns quietly, comfortably, with a cup of tea and cake, and does not exert himself. He fulfills the mitzvah with awe and simplicity, but he has no reward here in this world because he does not jump and dance with the mitzvah.

But the one who toils over his learning with joy, about him it is said, "Praiseworthy are you, and it is good for you"—praiseworthy are you in this world, and it is good for you in the World to Come. If you learn Torah with a niggun (melody), dance, and rejoice with the mitzvah, you will eat from the 'shufra d'shufra' (the absolute best) in this world. The abundance will come to you according to the joy you experienced. Suddenly you will have an apartment, suddenly you will have everything you need.

Joy Down to the Heels

This tremendous joy must reach down to the heels, to make the heels jump. Rebbe Nachman explains in Torah 169 on the verse "Vehaya eikev tishme'un" (And it will be, because you will listen), that "Vehaya" (And it will be) is an expression of joy, and the joy must enter all the way down to the "eikev" (heel). The Chida says exactly the same thing, connecting the word "eikev" with joy.

Through this joy, one merits Shmiras HaBris (guarding the covenant) and loving-kindness. And as the holy Arizal said, everything he merited in his wondrous intellect and his tremendous spiritual attainments was only because he was exceedingly joyful in performing mitzvos and engaging in Torah. By toiling to rejoice and learn Torah, we will merit to raise the Shechinah (Divine Presence) from the dust and to the complete Geulah (Redemption) speedily in our days, Amen.

Lesson No. 45