The Ben Ish Chai zy”a (Sefer Aderes Eliyahu, Parshas Vayakhel) speaks at length on the topic of depression. He writes that sadness not only harms the spirit, it also harms the physical body and causes many forms of illness. He adds that depression is caused by the person himself. Although a person cannot lift a finger in this world unless it was decreed from Shomayim that he do so, he can cause himself to be depressed.
He explains that sadness is despised by Hashem and is so bad that even a sinner does not deserve this punishment. If it is decreed that a person must suffer as punishment for his sins, Hashem wants him to accept the suffering with love and joy. Therefore, He certainly would not decree that the person should be depressed, as it is impossible to be joyful when one is sad. Therefore, it is obvious that depression comes from the person himself, and not from Hashem.
Furthermore, sadness is caused by a lack of emunah. If a person fully believed and trusted in Hashem, he certainly would not fall to sadness and despair. Thus, the root of depression is a lack of emunah and bitachon. In order to avoid it, one must strengthen his bitachon and rejoice with whatever He sends him.
He offers three ways to avoid falling to depression:
- The pasuk says (Mishlei 12:25) that when has a worry in his heart, he should speak it over with others. The Gemara (Yoma 75A) explains that if one discusses his worries with others, he will stop worrying. There is an expression that “a shared problem is half solved.” Simply speaking over one’s problem helps a person deal with it and is a source of joy. On the other hand, keeping one’s worries bottled up inside allows them to grow bigger and leads to depression.
- One can see with his own eyes that many poor people become wealthy in a short period of time. Many people who were trapped in deep debt emerged suddenly and were able to repay what they owed. There also have been many couples who did not merit children for many years, and suddenly were blessed with a child. There have been many sick people who were suddenly cured. Therefore, it is evident that Hashem can take a person out of a difficult situation in a moment’s time. Whatever problem a person has, he should bear in mind that Hashem can help him at any time, and this knowledge should be a source of encouragement that allows him to avoid falling to depression.
- One should go to maggidim who can relate stories of people who experienced much suffering and were miraculously saved by Hashem. They surely have stories of individuals who went through similar challenges to one’s own, and experienced salvations. This will be a great source of encouragement.
These three methods of avoiding depression are hinted to in the verse (Tehillim 115:4-6): “Atzabeihem kesef v’zahav maaseh yedei odom. Peh lahem v’lo yedabeiru. Einayim v’lo yiru. Aznayim lahen v’lo yishmi’u.” (Their idols are silver and gold, the handiwork of man. They have mouths but do not speak. They have eyes but do not hear. They have ears but do not hear.) The word “atzabeihem” can be translated to mean “atvus”, depression. Thus, the pasuk can be understood to be saying that if someone is depressed over silver and gold, i.e., a lack of money, he should know that this is “the handiwork of man”, meaning that is caused by the person himself.
The first solution is “they have mouths.” This hints to the method of speaking to others. The words “they do not speak” can be read as a question: Why do they not speak? Why don’t you discuss your problems with others and, thereby, remove the worry from your heart?
The second solution is “they have eyes.” This hints to the method of looking around and seeing how others have been saved from problems in a relatively short time. The pasuk then asks: “They do not see?” Why don’t you look and see how Hashem helps people in their time of difficulty?
The third solution is “they have ears.” This hints to the method of listening to stories about Hashem’s miraculous salvations. The pasuk asks: “They don’t hear?” Why don’t you use your ears to hear about how Hashem miraculously saves people, and use these stories as a source of encouragement for yourself?
