Question:
Mourning on the churban.
Answer:
Is mourning on the churban giving you negative feelings and negative emotions? Do you have a part of you that is kind of just waiting for this time of year to be over? Do you have designated times on your calendar that are marked off as "black days" where it feels like now it is a mitzva to be depressed? If so, you have come to the right address:
No "mourning" for you, period! You were depressed from the day you were born, even before you knew about the mitzva of aveilus on the churban (mourning on the destruction)! You are deep-down looking for reasons and heteirim to get depressed! Yeitzer leiv ha'adam ra miniuriav ("the inclination of the heart of man is for bad from his youth"). Human nature is to live in a self-imposed world of negativity. And that is where we come in: Break your middos and be happy (or at least be "happily depressed")! And like the Rambam (Dei'os 2:2) says, and the Vilna Gaon elaborates (Even Sheleima Ch. 1), as well as the sefer Madreigas ha'Adam (Birur haMiddos): To reach perfection and proper balance, one must go to the opposite extreme! Extreme simcha and joy (with rabbinic supervision)! If you would have only seen Rebbi Gershon Libman z"l, who was six years in the concentration camps under the Nazis yimach shimam, and in that time was even happier and more joyous than usual. The word "trauma" does not exist in a Novardekor's dictionary. Do you believe in a Good G-d? So what's your problem? (P.S. Don't tell this to someone that is not on the level).
The power of mussar on bitachon is limitless. For so many of us, way before any sefarim on the churban and the like, open up the Shaar haBitachon! (P.S. Do whatever works for you and brings you a happier and healthier connection with Hashem, like singing warm songs about Hashem!)
(P.S. Tune into Novardok-Hotline next Sunday for a special presentation in honor of the day).
