We see many chassidim who become meshugah, chas veshalom, or depressed. How did this happen? If you say it is from the Torah, we know that it is the opposite. Torah makes people happy. (This is the reason why it is forbidden for mourners to study Torah, and this is the reason we don't study Torah on Tisha b'Av.) If you say they became insane or depressed because they were cautious to perform the mitzvos, once again, we know that this isn't so, because (Tehillim 19:9), לב משמחי ישרים 'ה פקודי, 'The mitzvos of Hashem are upright, causing the heart to rejoice.'"
The Ohev Yisrael answers that depression and insanity come when one strives to reach levels that are beyond him. But Torah and mitzvos themselves bring only happiness.
A father asked one of the roshei yeshivah of Tchebin, Reb Avraham Ganichovsky zt"l, to speak with his son and to encourage him to study Torah with hasmadah. Reb Avraham told the bachur the following mashal:
A king, his aide, and three advisors strolled through a forest near the king's palace. The king became thirsty and sent his aide to the palace to get him water. The aide filled a large crystal cup with water and placed it on a diamond-studded wooden tray. Rushing through the forest, the aide tripped, the water spilled, and the tray fell into a pit. The aide returned to the palace and brought another cup of water. The king quenched his thirst and thanked his aide, but now the king asked his advisors to help him retrieve the tray from the pit. The pit was narrow, and it was impossible to climb inside.
One advisor said, "We can widen the pit. That way, we can get inside and retrieve the tray." Another advisor spoke up, "That isn't a good idea. The tray might break while we dig. It is also possible that the tray will fall even deeper into this ditch. Instead, I suggest that we dig another hole next to the original pit. Then we can connect the two pits at the bottom and retrieve the tray." The third advisor said, "That is a very costly and time-consuming venture. I recommend that we fill the pit with water. Then, the wooden tray will float up, and we can easily take it out."
Reb Avraham Ganichovsky explained to the bachur that everyone suffers; it is impossible to go through this world without hardship. There are methods that help overcome distress, but often, these approaches cause more harm than good. (In the mashal, this was expressed by widening the pit, which might cause them to lose the tray forever). And even when the attempts to attain happiness are helpful, the effort is enormous, and it is doubtful whether it is worth the time and effort. (In the mashal, this was represented with the counsel to dig another pit and then to connect them). But there is one foolproof way to acquire joy and tranquility in this world, and that is to study Torah. Torah is compared to water (and in the mashal, it is compared to pouring water into the pit until the tray comes up). When one is immersed in Torah, nothing will disturb him. His life will always be good.
