This coming Shabbos is a very auspicious Shabbos – Shabbos Rosh Chodesh Adar Rishon; that’s a serious title. There is a debate amongst the poskim if the statement of Chazal (which is quoted in the Mishna Berura in סימן תרפ"ו) משנכנס אדר מרבים בשמחה also applies to the first Adar. See the Dirshu Mishna Berura there. The majority of opinions say it only applies to the second Adar. However, the Shevet Halevi says that many do increase joy in the first Adar, and this seems to be the opinion of the Chasam Sofer. Additionally, the Lubavitcher Rebbe zt”l has a beautiful idea that when we have two months of Adar, the simcha is so much more potent, because together you have 60 days of simcha, and as we know, 60 represents bitul, meaning to nullify things. Hence a year like this, when we begin to increase joy, now we can, with Hashem’s help, nullify all sadness.
Last week, I saw a beautiful idea from the Ksav Sofer regarding Yisro who saw all that Hashem did for the Jewish People. The Gemara points out that Yisro was the first to say ברוך השם. Many mefarshim struggle to understand how it’s possible that no one before Yisro said praises of Hashem? See Maharsha and others. The Ksav Sofer explains that there was a special insight that Yisro had, and it’s hinted in the extra word:כל everything that Hashem did is good, even what seems to be bad.
Let’s point out some challenging questions about the obligation to increase simcha.
Firstly, how exactly does one increase simcha? Is it with actions, words, feelings, or all three? Secondly if simcha is an emotion, then how can it be commanded? Thirdly, strangely enough, we don’t seem to find in Sefer Hamitzvos a clear command to be besimcha. Yet we do know that Rav Nachman zt”l famously says מצוה גדולה להיות בשמחה תמיד; he certainly held it’s a mitzva.
The most important question is: can you define simcha, or joy? If you can’t, we’re in trouble, because how would we know how to achieve sImcha if we can’t define it?
I would like the readers to think about the above questions and discuss them at the Shabbos table, and if you have good answers, please share them with me. I also will challenge you to think how this all connects to Parshas Zachor and leading up all the way to Purim, the highest point of simcha.
Stay tuned for the answers next week.
Good Shabbos
by Rabbi Daniel Coren
