All Excitement and Emotion Provide Pleasure to the Soul
The Nefesh Enjoys Emotion—Even Sad Emotion
As we stand at the beginning of the days of Shovavim (the parashiyos between Shemos and Mishpatim, a time auspicious for teshuvah and rectification), it is worthwhile to learn the words of the holy Chovas HaTalmidim, Hy”d, in his sefer Tzav V’Ziruz (Chapter 9): The soul of a person enjoys becoming emotional—not solely from joyful feelings; it takes pleasure from all emotion, even sad and mournful ones, and even crying provides pleasure to the soul.
We know that a good cry feels good... it allows us to express our emotions in a strong way. But even depressing emotions are also a source of pleasure for the nefesh. There was a bachur in yeshivah who was always sad and depressed, and someone tried to give him chizuk. He responded, “My only source of joy in the world is my sadness and melancholy... do you want to take this away from me too?!”
Why We Read Scary Novels
Says the Chovas HaTalmidim, the nefesh enjoys any kind of emotion and feeling—not necessarily joyful ones, but even sad and mournful ones. It is a way for the nefesh to express its inner self.
He cites a phenomenon that we understand all too well in our times, but it evidently existed back then as well. “A person enjoys seeing frightful images... and to hear dreadful stories that move us to tears and emotion.” We wonder why many people are addicted to watching videos of scary and emotional events... images that move a person, even if they cause him nightmares—but this is the reality of our souls.
Today, millions of novels are sold, filled with stories that never transpired. One may wonder, “Why are you reading this?” We can understand if a person enjoys reading history, because he wants to broaden his horizons, and he wants to understand historical events. But why would a person read something that never even happened, becoming so tied into events that never took place? He becomes so connected to the protagonist in the story—empathizing with the “victims” therein and becoming furious with the antagonist.... What are you doing?! The answer is that his nefesh craves emotion—for no reason and for no gain; even if they are emotions of fear, depression, and mournfulness.
Where We Get Our Rush of Emotion
This is a law in nature, says the Chovas HaTalmidim. It’s a need like every need. Just as a person needs to eat and sleep, he must also experience emotion. This applies to every human being without exception.
There are other natures within a person that vary and fluctuate depending on the individual—but this need is universal; every person needs to experience emotion.
However, he says, one who fulfills this need for emotion and excitement through Torah and tefillah saves his soul. Conversely, a person whose avodas Hashem is emotionless—he does what he’s supposed to; he learns, davens, and gives tzedakah—but he does so without fire and excitement—one of two things will happen to him: “Either his nefesh will draw him to foreign sources of excitement (not necessarily aveiros, but “cheap” and foolish methods of attaining excitement, and perhaps aveiros too), or he will experience emotional illness (such as depression)—for just as when the body doesn’t receive its needs, it becomes physically ill, the nefesh is the same way.
Adults Need Excitement Too
These words are timeless and they provide us with a deep insight into the design of a human being. We must remember this well: The Ribbo-no shel Olam created us with a craving for emotion and excitement; our nefesh must express its feelings.
One may wonder: Are we small children who constantly pursue excitement—constantly needing to feel amazed and seek out “experiences”?! We’re adults! Aren’t we meant to maintain a normal and stable routine?! Why isn’t it enough simply to do the things we need to do in life and utilize our time in a serious manner? Are emotion and excitement truly necessary for us?!
This person may point to children—for whom we provide exciting incentives and campaigns, and they count the days to the trip and the reward. But as we grow into adulthood, we don’t need such things anymore. We’re motivated by doing the right things and living stable lives.
Young boys wait for “special times” such as Chanukah, Purim, and bein hazmanim because they crave excitement. But older, settled people prefer stability. In fact, they might daven to Hashem that life shouldn’t be exciting... they’re happy when things are stable. It doesn’t seem as if they have the same need for excitement.
Channeling Our Heavenly Potential for Good
This applies to all our character traits. For example, when the Torah exhorts us to connect to the middos of Hashem, to conduct ourselves, as it were, as He conducts Himself, with mercy and compassion, with generosity and goodness, the meaning of this is that we possess these traits within us, and they must be expressed openly. So long as you don’t express them, you will not attain perfection.
The Chovas HaTalmidim explains that when emotion isn’t channeled into something positive (that is, experiencing an emotional high in matters of kedushah, such as davening and mitzvos), we’re in danger of the emotion remaining suppressed, which may lead to illness, or it will be expressed through less-desirable channels.
For this reason, we must work so that we do experience emotion and excitement, and we must ensure that it happens in a proper manner, through good channels.
Torah Channels Our Innate Excitement for Good
“Spicing” Our Innate Nature
There’s a well-known Gemara (Kiddushin 30b), “I have created the yetzer hara—but I have created the Torah as a spice (antidote) for him.”
Asks the Mezericher Maggid, one must understand the choice of words here. Why is Torah a “spice” against the yetzer hara? A spice is meant to provide flavor for our food, eliciting its inherent good flavor. Here, however, we’re attempting to weaken the allure of the yetzer hara, not emphasize it through spice?
And so, he explains the Gemara in the following way—which underscores our previous point: The natures and character traits lie within us at any rate—but they require “spices” to elicit them, to bring out their “flavor” in the most desirable way. For every nature can be utilized for good or, chas v’shalom, for bad. The Torah is that spice that ensures that the yetzer, the natures that are within us, will be expressed through proper channels.
All Pleasure Is Rooted in Hashem
The tzaddikim explain that the animating force of every pleasure and of all material things in the world, is the chiyus from the Ribbono shel Olam. All pleasures are really derived from a Higher Source. If it wouldn’t contain Elokus, it would have no existence.
The meat of animal that was slaughtered can be enjoyed, but soon afterward, it begins to lose its freshness, and it can no longer be eaten. Why? Because so long as it had chiyus from Hashem, it contained life and vitality. The same applies to every material being; its life force comes directly from Hashem, and this is what animates it.
This is perhaps why the more life something has, the more pleasure can be derived from it. The more chiyus from Hashem lies therein, the more pleasure can be elicited from it, and the more we’re drawn to it (think of the vast difference between inanimate objects and the pleasure we attain from connecting with live humans). But the key is that we do not squander this pleasure in illicit ways. If we utilize pleasure in improper and empty ways, we have squandered our potential and gained nothing.
The Potential of Music
An example of this is the power of music. So many great things can be accomplished through song and music—and it has an incredible potential to move hearts closer to the Ribbono shel Olam. It’s a vehicle to express our desire for Hashem and to convey our gratitude toward Him. Indeed, the greatest tzaddikim authored piyyutim of pining for Hashem. This is an incredible avodah. The Chasam Sofer said that he would give away portions of his Torah to merit the gift of music!
The avodah of the Leviim in the Beis HaMikdash was likewise centered around music, and this completed the avodah of the korbanos and brought great emotions of teshuvah into those present. Music presents a great opportunity for emotion that can be utilized for growth.
Mutilated Music
If a person doesn’t utilize this tool properly, one of the two things that Chovas HaTalmidim cites may happen. If he is prevented from expressing his emotions through song, it can literally make him sick. If a person is alone and cannot sing with others, it hurts... for he cannot express his emotions. If a person is musically talented, but he finds no outlet for his music, it is likewise painful.
Then there’s an even worse case, when one uses the vehicle of music to arouse people in the wrong way. Instead of awakening in them a desire and a pining for kedushah, he arouses them to the opposite. There’s an entire gentile world which does so, and this trend has unfortunately infiltrated our community.
Turning Emotion into Energy
The important thing to remember is that in everything that arouses emotion, there are three ways that it can be channeled: Either we use it properly as a channel to become tethered to the Ribbono shel Olam, or we don’t use it at all, leading to terrible outcomes, or we use it in ways contrary to kedushah, R”l.
Says the holy Maggid, the Torah is the “spice” that will enable us to draw out our הנפש כוחות for the good. When a Yid learns Torah in the proper way, it enables him to express his emotion and excitement—an inherent need that we all have—for the good and the positive.
(To be continued).
