The third said עצבותם ירבו, when people are sad, אחר, it is like they are giving a present to the Satan. (מהרו means present, see Shemos 22:15). The Beis Aharon replied that all three translations were correct (Divrei Aharon).
Perhaps we can offer a fourth explanation: עצבותם ירבו; people are sad because מהרו, they are always rushing, and they don't have time to think about all the good they have in their lives.
Reb Moshe Leib Sassover zt'l and the Berditchever Rav's son, Reb Yisrael of Pikov zt'l, were collecting money together for pidyon shevuyim. One winter night, they slept in a poor man’s home. The roof was broken in several places, icicles hung down, and when the baal habayis turned on the oven, the icicles began to melt. Water dripped onto Reb Yisrael’s bed. These accommodations disturbed Reb Yisrael immensely.
Rebbe Moshe Leib told him, "I have thirteen reasons to be happy: (1) My right side doesn’t hurt me, so I can lie on my right side. (2) My left side doesn’t hurt, either, so I can sleep on my left side, too. (3) My back doesn’t hurt..." He counted thirteen reasons why he was happy and they danced from joy. (Maamar Mordechai vol.2 p.117).
There is a lot to be thankful for, but to do so, one needs time and peace of mind. ירבו עצבותם, people are sad, מהרו אחר, because they are always rushing to the next thing and lack the peace of mind to focus on the good they have now.
Another counsel for attaining happiness is to avoid thinking about the matters that upset you. You control your mind, and you can choose to think happy thoughts and avoid negative thoughts. Thus, avoid thinking about your tzaros. You can think about them tomorrow or next week, you don't have to think about them all the time. Focus on the good, keep your mind off the bad, and you will be happy.
The Gemara (Chulin 139:) asks, "Where is Haman alluded to in the Chumash?" The Gemara answers that his name is indicated in the pasuk (Bereishis 3:11) אשר העץ המן אכלת ממנו אכל לבלתי צויתיך, "Have you eaten from the tree from which I commanded you not to eat?" Haman is alluded to in this pasuk because it is the way of reshaim to always regret what they did. They are always focusing on the past, wondering whether they should have done better.
A hint to this is the Chazal (Nedarim 9) רשעים חרטות מלאים, resha'im are full of regret. Rebbe Pinchas Koritzer zt'l asks, aren’t they tzaddikim if they regret their evil deeds? Why are they called reshaim? He answers that they don't regret their aveiros. They regret their bad choices in this world. They are always eating themselves up with regret that they didn't earn more money, make better choices to attain more honor, and so on.
Tzaddikim, in contrast, train themselves to forget the past and move on. They do so, so they can serve Hashem with joy. Therefore, the Gemara says that Mordechai's name is alluded to in the passuk from this week's parashah (30:23) מר בשמים לך קח דרור, "Take incenses, mor dror..." and Onkelus says mor dror is דכיא מריא, which spells Mordechai. The pasuk is written in the present tense, teaching us that tzaddikim think about the present.
The Gemara (Shabbos 63:) states, דברי כאן עד טוב יצר דברי ואילך מכאן ר"יצה, "Until here are the words of the yetzer hara. From here on are the words of the yetzer hatov."
The Ksav Sofer explains that when a person thinks about כאן עד, what happened up until now, it is the yetzer hara. When a person's focus is on ואילך מכאן, the future, this is the yetzer hatov.
After the Holocaust (WWII), someone asked the Divrei Yoel of Satmar zy"a to share his thoughts on the devastating Holocaust. He replied, "A Yid doesn’t think about what was."
Expressions of Joy and Sorrow
The gemara teaches us that the words בימי ויהי "It happened in the days..." contains a hint of sorrow. ויהי אחשורש בימי implies that the Yidden suffered under Achashverosh’s rule. However, the words בימי והיה, are an expression of joy. What is the difference between these two similar words?
The word ויהי is in the past tense, a reference to harping over past difficulties, and is, therefore, an expression of sorrow. Whereas the word והיה is in the present tense, which represents the ability to forget about the past and live in the present. Such a person can live with joy.
Rebbe Shaul Yedidyah of Modzitz zt’l always had a smile on his face. During the Holocaust, people asked him how he managed to remain happy. "Aren't you worried about the future?" He replied, “Of course, I am worried about the future, just like everyone else, only I keep my worries tied up and put away. Once a day, I take out my worries to look at them, and then I immediately tuck them away until the next day. That’s how I can stay happy.” (Imrei Shaul).
Living Without Regret
Rebbe Chaim of Chernowitz, author of Be'er Mayim Chaim zy"a and other sefarim, repeated a vision he saw one Friday night. Many neshamos stood before the beis din in heaven. These neshamos were told that they must return to this world as a gilgul, and they cried before the court that there needed to be a change in the system. They explained that they had been in this world several times before, and each time, they failed on the mission and were sent again to Olam HaZeh. "What is the purpose of sending us to Olam HaZeh again and again?" they cried. "We will probably fail another time!"
The court replied, “Times have changed. The judgment isn't as difficult as it was in the past. There is a greater likelihood that you will pass the test. You just need to be cautious about one thing: Never say: 'I should have.' If you can avoid saying those words, you have passed the test and will merit Olam HaBa."
According to this vision, the main goal is to go through life without saying "I should have done things differently." Believe that everything is hashgachah pratis, including your own choices, and you have passed the test of life.
