שִׂמְחָה

The primary joy is in the heart — and it is impossible for the heart to rejoice until one removes the crookedness [akmimusdelibbo] from one's heart so that one has an upright heart; and then one will merit joy. And the crookedness of the heart is shed through thunder [re'amim] — which is the dimension of prayer with force, awe, love, and great intention. [Translator's note: No source citation appears for this teaching in this edition.]

To merit in completeness to the above-mentioned dimension of thunder — this is through clearing the mind of all kinds of external wisdoms, foreign thoughts, and evil mental disturbances. [Translator's note: No source citation appears for this teaching in this edition.]

Everything that a person lacks — whether spiritually or physically — the deficiency is, as it were, in the Shechinah. But when the person knows this — that the deficiency is above and below — certainly he will have great pain and sadness and will not be able to serve Hashem with joy. Therefore he must say to himself: "Who am I and what is my life, that the King Himself tells me, as it were, of His own deficiency? Is there any greater honor than this?" And through this he comes to great joy and his mochin are renewed. [Translator's note: No source citation appears for this teaching in this edition.]

All deficiencies that come to a person come from the sparks that fell and became deficient, as it were, through the breaking of the vessels [sheviras ha'keilim]. And the rectification is through the person rejoicing in his G-d — in the dimension of "I will rejoice in Hashem" [Habakkuk 3:18]. Through this all the deficiencies from the breaking are completed and all the holy sparks rise up. [Translator's note: No source citation appears for this teaching in this edition.]

The root of the points [nekudos] of all the mitzvos is joy — and joy is a complete stature [komah sheleimah] of 248 limbs and 365 sinews. And each of the 613 mitzvos has a limb of joy corresponding to it — each mitzvah according to its dimension. And a person must see to it — when he is joyful with the joy of a mitzvah — that he passes through the entire stature of joy from head to heel. And then, if he blemished some mitzvah — whether a positive commandment or a negative commandment — then when he is joyful and passes through the stature of joy and reaches the limb corresponding to that mitzvah he blemished, he cannot rejoice there — on the contrary, he has worry in the dimension of "I shall be anxious for my sin" [Psalms 38:19]. And through this he feels and recalls the sin he committed previously. And therefore, even though the great radiance of the joy of his abundance of mitzvos blazes and nullifies the worry and impediment to joy caused by the sin — even so through this he can afterward make a verbal confession [viduy devarim] about the sin; through which the blemish of the sin is fully rectified, and voice is united with speech and there is formed the unification of the Holy One Blessed be He and His Shechinah. And all this is merited through the joy of a mitzvah. [Translator's note: No source citation appears for this teaching in this edition.]

Sometimes a person recalls to himself — because of the very greatness of the admonitions that the Rabbis of blessed memory warned to always be in joy, particularly on Shabbos and Yom Tov — that specifically through this, sadness and worry are added to him from this very thing itself: meaning from the fact that he does not merit to fulfill this and to truly be in joy. Therefore one must take care in this that one should at the very least not have black bile [marah shechorah] — dark melancholy — from the very fact that one does not merit joy. For in truth the will alone — the fact that he wants and longs to be in joy, and particularly on Shabbos and Yom Tov — this too is very good; and through this very thing he may merit to truly reach joy. [Translator's note: No source citation appears for this teaching in this edition.]

A person must overcome himself and strengthen himself to always be in joy — both in ascent and in descent, Heaven forbid. And one who cannot strengthen himself in joy even at a time of descent — then it is quite right and fitting that he has descended from his level, since he cannot strengthen himself in joy at a time of descent.

At a time of joy — such as wedding joy and the like — a person must remember and review the kindnesses that Hashem Yisborach did with him from the day of his birth until he arrived at this time of his joy; and give thanks to Hashem Yisborach for this. [Translator's note: No source citation appears for this teaching in this edition.]