Sometimes Simcha Is Virtually Your Only Mitzva
Of course, they have to keep Taryag Mitzvos. But they need a main focus of Simcha to dominate their lives, or else they could be in big trouble. And despite their “Shas”, and loads of Tzedaka and Chesed and Dikduk B’mitzvos, they are nervous and/or angry and/or depressive. Some of them need desperately to practice Simcha, even: ֵבּ ַה ןי ְפּ ָר ִק םי during the breaks while reading Eicha on Tisha B’av, on the holy day of Yom Kippur, and even to squeeze in some Simcha energy while they have a blatt Gemara open before them.
(Ideally, the blatt Gemara should give plenty Simcha; but this doesn’t always happen). Many people suffer from chronic negative thinking, and are always Chazzering (reviewing) their sins and mistakes, their issues and embarrassments and being guilty for some things they did, their shortcomings, their ongoing worries and inferiority complexes. They need to cancel and challenge these thoughts, and trade them with positive thoughts (even to the extreme) and thoughts of how good Bizyonos is, or how great is a: ֵל ִנ ב ְשׁ ַבּ ר broken heart, or to be in “denial” of their problems, or to put a stop (halt) on all those unending worries and have Bitachon, etc.
When depressed people would call R’ Avigdor Miller Zatzal, he would say: “Eat cake!” After 100 Pesukim of the worst Tzaros in the world (in the Tochacha; i.e., the horrible punishments mentioned at length in Parshas Ki Savo), the Torah says the reason is: בָבֵל בוּטְבוּ הָחְמִשְׂבּ ˃יֶק˄ֱא 'ה תֶא ָתְּדַבָﬠ אֹל רֶשֲׁא תַחַתּ זמ חכ אבת for not serving Hashem with Simcha; this is the reason for Churban. Not any other Aveira. Not Avoda Zara, Gilui Arayos, or Sh'ficus Damim. We see how special Simcha is, and sometimes it’s virtually your only Mitzva!
