For exile merely conceals the underlying joy of knowing that the day will come when we will merit being the crown on the “head” of the King of Kings.
Rejoicing When Doing a Mitzvah is Great Work
We thus see that one must join in the pain while simultaneously feeling joy, we must uncover the joy hidden in times of pain and exile. Could we possibly think that we put on Tefillin on Tishah B’av afternoon, but without joy? All mitzvos must be performed with great joy, as the Rambam says: The joy a person feels when doing a mitzvah and when loving Hashem, as commanded, is great work, and whoever refrains from such joy is fit to be punished.
The More You Know the More You Feel Pain
This joy is not limited to the time one does a mitvah only. One should constantly rejoice and thank Hashem for choosing us from all other peoples and giving us the Torah; we must thank Him for not making us a gentile nor a slave, and one must thank Hashem for each and every breath, and for every thought and act. I always tell over the story of a shiva call I made to a family deeply mourning the patriarch of the family. Among them was a brother of limited mental capacity. He was so happy to see each person and so happy to be there. I asked the other mourners if they would want to change places with that brother, and feel absolutely no pain. They shuddered at the thought and said that although the more you know the more you feel pain, they want to feel that pain. Thus, one should be happy to be able to feel pain, and to be able to mourn.
The Difficulty of Feeling Joy and Mourning Simultaneously
When Tishah B’av falls out on Shabbos [as it did the year this Shiur was given, or right after Shabbos as this year (editor)] the power of Shabbos can help in the difficult task of feeling joy and mourning simultaneously. With all the pain of golus, we are Jews, and we have the gift of Shabbos. The lesson we must all learn is the importance of simchah, joy, in each and every circumstance. It is not enough to keep the mitzvos, one must keep them with joy. We must rejoice and be glad on You, and in that merit may we be able to change these days to days of complete joy, with the fulfillment of the possuk, And those redeemed by Hashem shall return and come to Zion with glad song and everlasting joy on their heads, achieving happiness and joy, while sorrow and sighing flee. Amen, KY”R.
