This Week's Parshas Ki Seitzei from the mouth of the Gaon and Tzaddik

Parshas Ki Seitzei - from the mouth of the Tzaddik Yesod Olam (the Tzaddik who is the foundation of the world), our holy master, the Gaon and Tzaddik, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a (may he live long and good days): "You shall blot out the memory of Amalek." Through simcha (joy), we are saved from all sins! Through joy, we merit all healings! Through joy, we merit all salvations! The word "Simcha" (שמחה) contains the letters of the phrase "Sh-m-ch-h" (referencing the book Kochvei Or, section Sasson v'Simcha), for through joy we blot out Amalek! We blot out the transgressions! Through joy, one escapes all the transgressions in the world.

One must be very careful to always be in a state of joy, because the moment there is even a drop of atzvus (sadness/depression) due to a sin or worry about parnassah (livelihood), a person is liable to fall into an even greater sin! Because of the sadness and worry, he will fall into greater transgressions. There are people for whom the greatest pleasure is sadness; their entire lives are spent in sadness. If you try even a little bit to make them happy, you simply annoy them! They have never tasted the flavor of joy in their lives.

"The general rule is that one must strengthen himself greatly with all his might to be only happy always. For it is human nature to pull oneself toward 'black bile' (melancholy) and sadness due to the afflictions and occurrences of time, and every person is full of suffering. Therefore, one must force himself with great strength to always be in a state of joy" (Likutey Moharan, Lesson 24, Part II).

A person enters into sadness in order to forget all the suffering he is going through. Sadness puts him into a kind of melancholy, numbs his thoughts, and paralyzes his senses. Sadness is a sedative drug! Sadness is a sedative that gives "quiet" and "tranquility," but it is only an illusion! On the contrary! Sadness only intensifies the suffering and enlarges it. Therefore, the main work of a person is the war against sadness, and this requires mesirus nefesh (self-sacrifice)! Never let sadness take control!

Reb Nosson says that to fight despair requires self-sacrifice. Joy doesn't just come on its own; joy is the hardest of all things! The greatest obstacles are placed against joy! Everything the Satan fights against is only joy! That is his battle! The entire war is so that you won't be happy! It is the work of the Satan to ensure you aren't in joy, that you don't dance, and that you don't rejoice. Everyone goes through insults and humiliations; everyone goes through "adventures" (difficulties) in body and soul. There are a million reasons to be in sadness! It is human nature to be in sadness! But with joy, everything can be sorted out. If a person dances and sings to Hashem, then all the abundance flows to him.

There is no reason to be in sadness. Everyone has a tremendous intellect; everyone can reach everything in the world, a person just needs to emerge from all his sadness. With joy, one merits turning the descent into an ascent, sweetening all the judgments, and attaining all salvations.

Reb Nosson says that the main accusation and provocation of Haman-Amalek is against joy. He could not tolerate the joy of the Jewish people—that they dance, rejoice, and sing on the Festivals and Shabbos, etc. Shabbos arrives? Shabbos is joy and dancing! For six days you received food, thank Hashem you aren't sick—start dancing and rejoicing! Your wife is healthy—start dancing and rejoicing! Do you have children? Start dancing and rejoicing! You don't have children yet? In the merit of the joy and dancing, you will be blessed with children! You don't have a shidduch (marriage match) yet? In the merit of joy, you will have a shidduch! When Shabbos comes, you need to sit with the children, rejoice with them, and sing with them with enthusiasm and desire. Don't say, "I am miserable, I am despairing, it's hard for me to be happy." What do you mean "it's hard for me to be happy"? It's hard for everyone to be happy!! It requires mesirus nefesh (self-sacrifice) to reach joy! Through joy, a person subdues all the klipos (husks of impurity), becomes purified from all impurities, and through joy, one can heal all the illnesses in the world.

A person sees that he has failed, that the body has overcome him, that Amalek has overcome him and wants to throw him into sadness and melancholy. Nevertheless, he must not become discouraged. He must immediately seek out friends, dance with them, rejoice with them, say Tehillim (Psalms), and seek all kinds of advice on how to be happy.

A person must know that transgressions do not belong to his soul. The soul is always righteous, always pure, always holy. Any time a person falls into sins, it is because he is not happy enough. Therefore, he must not become discouraged by anything in the world, by any sin in the world. If there is a problem, if you failed in some transgression, do teshuvah (repentance)... start to rejoice, sing, play music, say Tehillim—the main thing is not to fall into sadness! Because this is the war between the soul and Amalek! This is the war between you and the Yetzer Hara (Evil Inclination), which wants to throw you into sadness. It's not that you've become a rasha (wicked person) G-d forbid, rather this is "the war"—it is a battle between the Divine soul and Amalek. And one must continue the battle with joy, songs, and good points.

"Therefore, by not allowing himself to fall and by enlivening himself by searching, seeking, and finding some good points in himself... through this, melodies are made, and then he can pray, sing, and give thanks to Hashem" (Likutey Moharan, Lesson 282). For Amalek wants to make a person forget his good points. Amalek's war is within everyone, telling him—you are no longer worth anything, things aren't working out for you, you have no good in you. But the Tzaddikim teach us the opposite! You are full of good points! You are full of good! For if you failed, then now rejoice even more! Look at what an Evil Inclination you were given and how many difficulties you have; look at what a great Evil Inclination you deal with every day! And in this difficult state, you still overcome and perform mitzvos (commandments)!? You still fast on Yom Kippur!? You still keep Shabbos!? You still put on Tefillin!? Which is the King's crown. You wrap yourself in Tzitzis? Which is the King's garment. So it is fitting that you should rejoice more and more...

A person who has gone through descents can bring the whole world back in teshuvah (repentance). He can tell people, "I also went through this, this also happened to me," telling people: "Do teshuvah—is it hard for you? You don't know how? Look, I was there, in the same place you were, and here I am, I did teshuvah, you do it too." All the descents a person went through were so that he could be a guide. He was inside the klipos (husks of impurity) and he emerged, in order to show people how to get out of the klipos. All the descents a person went through, wherever he went, he was only a messenger—he is like a diver who is lowered into the depths of the sea to pull people out and save them.

The "Noam Elimelech" says there is a klipa (husk) that does not allow the Geulah (Redemption) to come, that does not allow the Redemption to be revealed. And one must know how to break this shell, how to crack it. Every person is within a certain klipa—a klipa of lusts, a klipa of sadness, a klipa of "stimu d'mochin" (blocked intellect). If we want to subdue the klipa, we must be in joy! For it is impossible to subdue the klipa except through joy! And when a person strengthens himself and overcomes to be in joy, then all the sadness, all the exiles, and all the troubles fall away and are nullified.

Rabbeinu (Rebbe Nachman) innovated a completely new concept—know that there is no despair in the world at all! There is no such thing as despair! Even in the most difficult situation! Even in the greatest crisis! If a person holds on for five minutes being happy, dancing, and singing, then everything turns around for the good! One must always come home with a smile, always come home with joy. At home, they don't need to know that you are currently in trouble or in a crisis. If you can't smile or be happy, sit outside on the stairs and practice smiling, make movements of joy, train yourself, and then enter the house with a happy face, with a shining countenance.

If a person holds on and rejoices, he can merit all the miracles in the world. A person's entire work is to constantly rejoice with mesirus nefesh (self-sacrifice), to say all the time "Everything is for the good." This is his test! If he says "this too is for the good" about everything, he will emerge from all the sufferings in the world! He will have miracles and wonders.

A person needs to rejoice, sing, and thank Hashem always, before a trouble arrives, G-d forbid! Don't wait for there to be a trouble and then be released from it, and then when you are released you are obligated to thank, sing, and bring a thanksgiving offering! Rather, let us always rejoice! Let us always sing to Hashem! Let us always recognize the greatness of Hashem! "Let every soul praise Hashem"—every breath (neshimah) should praise Hashem. You are breathing? Start rejoicing! For every breath, one must sing! Don't wait for troubles! Because if you rejoice in every situation, sing to Hashem, and thank Hashem, then troubles won't even arrive.

The main work is not to be in sadness for even a single second. For there is no reason to be in sadness! One must believe that every Jew is capable of reaching every good thing physically and spiritually, every success in the world! There is a matter of rejoicing in the fact that "He did not make me a gentile," that He made me a Jew! Thank Hashem, I merited to keep Shabbos, I merited to put on Tefillin—rejoice that you merited to pray! It is as if you found a diamond worth millions! One must always draw joy upon himself! Endless joy! If you don't know what to be happy about? We should be happy that Hashem created us as Divine beings; this is the greatest joy. "Israel shall rejoice in its Maker, the children of Zion shall exult in their King." Let us rejoice with Hashem, that Hashem created us for His glory: "Blessed is our G-d who created us for His glory and separated us from those who stray."

The moment we rejoice, study, and pray—the moment the whole world sees, that all the nations see that the Jew's weapon is joy, Torah, and prayer—they will all be nullified. The moment Hashem sees us in true joy! That we are rejoicing with Him! Then He will nullify all the decrees! All the troubles! So what is left for you? Start rejoicing in Hashem! Rejoice with Hashem! Only with Hashem! Only with Hashem can you rejoice! He is living and enduring! Hashem is for all eternity! Hashem loves you! Hashem created you! Hashem believes in you! Hashem believes in your teshuvah (repentance)! He will never leave you! He will give you everything.