Lomzheh Torah
Now, to add one more important layer to this subject I want to talk to you now about a secret, a secret happiness that most people don’t enjoy. I’ll explain soon why it’s a secret but it’s a tragedy that people don’t know about it because it’s such a tremendous happiness that if we would learn how yes to enjoy it and how to keep our cups filled with this happiness, so our avodas Hashem ב לֵ בָ ב בְ טוְ שִׂ מְ חָ ה ו ב would be an entirely different story.
I’ll tell you first a story, a true story, from the mashgiach in the Lomzhe Yeshiva. The mashgiach in the yeshiva is the man who takes care, he supervises the bochurim, and he once noticed a sad-faced bachur.
Now why should a young man be sad in a yeshiva? There are reasons. It could be he had no family. It could be he had no clothing. Maybe he had no money for food. A yeshiva man in Lomzhe didn’t have too much gashmiyus. There could be other reasons. Maybe he wasn’t succeeding in learning. Whatever it was, he was moping in the corner.
The Big Mazel Tov
So the mashgiach approached him, seized him by his lapels, and said to him, “Congratulations you lucky fellow! Mazel tov!”
The bachur looked at him. What's the good news? The bachur looked at the mashgiach. What's this all about?
And the mashgiach was speaking enthusiastically. “How happy is your lot! You know how fortunate you are? There are millions who envy you! Mazal tov! Mazel tov! Mazel tov!” The mashgiach said it five or six times.
And he continued in this vein for a long time. Meanwhile the young man was waiting to hear the good news; he was waiting to hear the secret! He won the lottery maybe.
And finally the mashgiach said, “Mazel tov that you're alive!”
Pickles Aren’t Everything
Oh, is that a letdown. To be alive? That’s the mazel tov? That’s the happiness?
