Strangling Stringencies

King David says (Psalm 119:99), "I learned from everyone that taught me." If Hashem sends a person or event in our lives, then there's surely something to learn.

My high-school wrestling coach was an Irish coal-miner's son from the hills of Pennsylvania, a self-made man who ultimately earned a PhD in education. He had tons of worldly wisdom and much of what he taught me in life helped me at critical times, especially during my service in the military.

Our coach hung a sign on the ceiling of our training gym with a tongue-in-cheek message that said, "If you can read this sign, you're losing!" Understandably, anybody that's lying on his back on a wrestling mat is not in the process of winning the match...

The Torah commands us to be in simcha, to be in a state of joy. That means we should have a smile on our face and not a stern look of hellfire and brimstone. Therefore, when a person is happy, he's a winner in Judaism. But when he's not happy - "on his back" so to speak – he's losing...

Many observant people ask, "I perform mitzvas, but I'm not happy! How can the Torah command me to be happy?"
 
The answer is quite simple. The Torah commands us to be happy, because if we observe its commandments like we should, then we will be happy.

Lack of happiness in one's Torah learning, prayer, and/or mitzva performance usually stems from one of two problems, either a lack of emuna or an excess of stringency.

Continue reading Strangling Stringencies on this week's online edition of Breslev Israel magazine.

Also featured this week:

Rabbi Shalom Arush: The Haystack

Rabbi Avraham HaCohen Kook: Amalek's Assault

Rabbi Nissan Dovid Kivak: Pesky Thoughts

Rabbi Aryeh Goetz: The Engaging Shabbat Table

Rajel Hayyim: Family Planning and Emuna

Zev Ballen: Self-alignment

Yehudit Bell: Walking and Talking

Dovber HaLevi: Rewriting History

Rivka Levy: The ABC Club

Important Notice, Uman 5773: See the InnUman website for a special early-bird discount for those who register now. Last year, "Inn Uman" was completely sold out - ask those who attended what an unforgettable Rosh Hashana they had.